


Fury of the Scorned

by silenttiger43



Series: Canis Major [3]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Tragedy, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Did I Mention Angst?, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Heavy Angst, How did I forget Angst?, M/M, Manipulation, Master/Pet, Multi, Other, Post-Canon, Psychological Trauma, Revenge, Stockholm Syndrome, Trauma, anger issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27541369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silenttiger43/pseuds/silenttiger43
Summary: Isaac had spent his time forging the fallen souls of the city he had claimed, forging and thinking about all the best ways to proceed. Forging until the bodies became too decayed with time for him to work on and he left the remains for his night creatures to devour while he contemplated his next moves.Isaac sighed, standing atop the great tower that overlooked this half-built city of stone, the quarter-moon shining brightly in a clear night sky. His dark eyes surveyed the legion of night creatures waiting patiently below for his call, ready to kill upon his command. Ready to bring about a new world.General summary: Continuation from the end of Season 3Isaac comes to Styria for Hector. The Trio reunite to tackle the latest threat against Wallachia. Angst, love, hatred and general madness ensues.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya & Trevor Belmont & Sypha Belnades, Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont, Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades, Hector/Lenore (Castlevania), Morana/Striga, Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Series: Canis Major [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1979705
Comments: 86
Kudos: 56





	1. Introductions

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation from my previous work "Canis Minor".  
> Canis Minor details a lot of Hector’s struggles to get to this point but is not necessary to be read to understand this one. It is still recommended however.
> 
> **There will be major character death in this fic. If you need to know who so that you can avoid reading about your favourite person dying, leave a comment and I'll tell you!  
> Once you've replied to the comment or two days have passed, I will delete it to avoid spoilers for others**

Everyone wanted an army.

It was always about building an army. Everyone wanted power, everyone wanted to be the biggest, strongest threat out there. They wanted to conquer and claim a world that they could not see was not worth claiming. 

Dracula had seen the world for what it was. He had seen  _ humanity _ for what it was; a plague on the earth that needed to be eradicated, purged, purified. He had witnessed the horrors of humanity but he had also witnessed it kindness. Dracula had found love in a human woman and for her sake, he had opened himself up to humanity, given them a chance.

But the human race did what it was always meant to; it disappointed. 

You do not blindly put your hand into a pit of poisonous snakes, hoping to find the one among them that wouldn’t bite you when surely all the others would. Was it not better to light the pit on fire and eliminate the threat in its entirety? Surely the casualties were worth it.

Dracula had seen this clearly as well. And so Dracula had needed an army too but one that would be put towards a greater purpose. One that was worth building. 

Isaac had been glad to be called, to be put to the task. To build Dracula’s soldiers, to manufacture an army for the greatest being to ever unlive. Isaac felt something of the vampire’s pain, he understood it as well as any  _ human  _ could. That was why Dracula had called on him, men of like minds working together for a better world.

But why would a being like Dracula, ever call upon someone like  _ Hector _ ? Surely it was only because two Forgemasters were better than one. Even working tirelessly, Isaac could only make so many creatures in a night. Hector could help double those numbers and expediency seemed to be one of Lord Dracula’s desires. Perhaps that was why Dracula put up with Hector, because otherwise the human seemed… soft. Too delicate and pliable. Isaac had seen that rather early on but it also was not his place to question Master Dracula so he hadn’t. He had worked  _ with _ the silver-haired Forgemaster, let him prattle on about animals and gentle mercies for human livestock.

Hector had never understood Dracula’s true purpose, he was a simple child of simple pleasures who happened to have a useful talent. Dracula had trusted Isaac to handle the naive Forgemaster, he had trusted Isaac to lead his court. 

Isaac had failed him. He had thought Hector too puerile to be considered a threat but that was the true hazard of humanity, wasn’t it? They always lured you into feeling safe before whipping you in the back. Hector was no different than the rest of them. But Hector had betrayed Dracula personally and that was not a thing that could go unpunished. 

All of humanity would die but that needed to start with the worst of them. Hector.

Thankfully Isaac knew exactly where the traitor was hiding, behind the walls of a new castle, one led by another betrayer of dear Lord Dracula’s cause. The vampire Carmilla would also have to die. But Carmilla had an army as well, she had a castle with strong walls for that army to defend and so this was going to take a more tactical approach.

Isaac had spent his time forging the fallen souls of the city he had claimed, forging and thinking about all the best ways to proceed. Forging until the bodies became too decayed with time for him to work on and he left the remains for his night creatures to devour while he contemplated his next moves.

Isaac sighed, standing atop the great tower that overlooked this half-built city of stone, the quarter-moon shining brightly in a clear night sky. His dark eyes surveyed the legion of night creatures waiting patiently below for his call, ready to kill upon his command. Ready to bring about a new world.

Everyone wanted an army but this one was his.

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Isaac approached the gates of the castle, the cold wind of Styria was a welcome feeling on the man’s skin. Too long had he been trapped in the heat and sun. Thanks to the large transmission mirror he had found, the last leg of the journey here with his army, had been short.

He could see Carmilla on top of the battlements, watching his approach with two other vampire women at her side; a rather large looking one and another clad in blue. From his observations of the place, there were three vampires aside from Carmilla herself that seemed to run this place. He could see the one he most often saw with Hector in the mirror. Her red hair was unmistakable in the moonlight on the other side of the barred gate. 

“Welcome to Styria,” the red-headed vampire greeted Isaac with a pleasant smile, “I am Lenore, diplomat to the ruling council of Styria.” 

“Council?” Isaac eyed the female for a moment, his night creature army had gathered some distance behind him. “I was under the impression that Carmilla was the sole Queen of Styria and owner of this castle.”

“Oh she is,” Lenore assured, “But we rule as a quartet. Four sisters united; Striga is the warrior, Morana the organizer and Carmilla as Queen.”

“... And you’re the diplomat,” Isaac eyed her with curiosity. They could have sent the warrior but instead they sent her, these vampires wanted to talk before leaping into battle, how interesting. “Lenore,” he greeted, “I am Isaac, former Forgemaster of the great Dracula,” he had observed her somewhat with her interactions regarding Hector. She seemed to be fond of the traitor from what he could tell and hearing her voice now, that soft tone, it made her appear quite gentle. What a pointless lie, vampires were not a gentle species.

“So I have surmised,” Lenore nodded to him respectfully, “It’s not just anyone who can command such a formidable hell-army. It’s a pleasure to meet you Isaac the Forgemaster, may I ask what brings you to our home?”

Vampires. Isaac would rather deal with them over humans. Vampires didn’t shriek or wail at the sight of night creatures, whether they were being attacked or not. This Lenore was a refreshing taste of civility, “I have come for Hector,” the mortal man admitted openly.

Lenore gave him a curious look at that, “Hector?”

“Yes, I know that he is here,” Isaac explained, “He has been filling your numbers with night creatures, has he not?” Even without the spying mirror, Isaac would recognize Hector’s handiwork anywhere. All he had to do was look over Lenore’s shoulder to see the freshly made night creatures lying in wait alongside vampire soldiers. They were an obvious precaution to the sight of Isaac’s army outside their walls.

“He has…” Lenore replied carefully, those curious eyes taking in every ounce of Isaac now, “What would you have with him?”

Isaac gave something of a smile at that and replied rather simply, “I would kill him.” He watched Lenore attentively for her reaction but she only held her pleasant expression back at the man, giving away nothing of herself and confirming Isaac’s suspicions of her. She would be quite a capable liar.

“Well, that is unfortunate,” Lenore responded, “As you said, he has been bolstering our numbers with night creatures. If you were to kill him, it would be quite inconvenient for us. I must respectfully decline your request. Perhaps there is something else we could help you with?”

Isaac gave a low chuckle at her words, “It was not a request. I have come to punish Master Dracula’s betrayer and I will not leave until I have seen this through. I do not recommend that you stand in my way. Many have tried along my path to get here, none have survived.”

Lenore hummed thoughtfully, touching a finger to her lips as she mulled this over, “It sounds as though you have come an awfully long way for this. I would prefer to find a diplomatic solution as opposed to massacring armies if we can. It can’t have been easy to build all those pretty creatures on your own. Perhaps you would be willing to come inside and talk? We might be able to work something out between us.”

Isaac didn’t even bat an eye, holding his gaze steady upon her, “You wish to isolate me from my army, surround me within your den of vampires and expect me to believe that your intention is merely to speak?”

“We can set something up in view of your little horde,” Lenore offered, “I simply find negotiations work better when there are no barriers between the interested parties.” She tapped the steel gate that separated the two of them and their armies as a precaution. “And I thought it might be nice for you to get out of the cold.” She added with a kind smile.

“Appealing to my human sensibilities will get you nowhere,” Isaac informed her blatantly, “I like the cold.” Movement behind Lenore caught Isaac’s eye as he spoke. “I cannot think of a thing that you could offer me that would satisfy my intentions. I’ve come for his head, your florid words can not change this.”

Lenore just gave him a smile, “Well, you’ve waited this long for your revenge; what would a few more days hurt? You never know, I might be able to come up with something.” She paused as she noted his gaze and turned to see what Isaac was looking at. 

Hector had stepped into view, several feet in front of his own gathered night creatures and then stopped. The blue eyes of his monsters glowed behind the Forgemaster as a look of shock crossed the man’s features. “Isaac?” Hector spoke in utter disbelief and then smiled.

Lenore frowned at the sight of the second Forgemaster, “Hector, Go back to your tower.” She ordered firmly but Hector didn’t move.

Isaac just glared at the man, feeling the fires of hell rise in his veins at the sight of that silver hair. It was different to see him in person, to have Hector’s eyes look back at him with such an irresponsible sense of innocence. It was almost like the man didn’t even understand what he’d done to incur Isaac’s wrath. 

“Hello betrayer,” the words rumbled from deep without Isaac’s chest and he wasn’t surprised to see Hector take half a step back. The man was a coward.

“ _ Now _ Hector,” Lenore ordered with a glare. Hector’s eyes darted between Isaac and Lenore, his lips parting for a moment as if to protest but then he clenched his jaw in silence and turned to head back inside. 

Lenore stepped to block Isaac’s view of Hector as best she could with her smaller stature, “As I was saying, I don’t see a reason why we can’t be sensible about things.”

Isaac’s eyes remained on Hector until the man was out of sight, only then did he turn his dark eyes back to the vampire. She wasn’t making unreasonable demands or trying to chase him away without a second thought. It was a refreshing change from the constant resistance of humans, determined to throw him out of their cities and towns. “... Very well, Lenore,” Isaac accepted, “I will come and speak with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES GUYS! Are you excited?! BECAUSE I AM!
> 
> This chapter overlays a little bit with the last chapter of Canis Minor. I had fun writing from Isaac's perspective on it ^_^
> 
> I'll only be posting this one once a week, on Fridays. (I've developed Carpal Tunnel and it is NOT FUN T_T)
> 
> Anyway,  
> I want to hear your thoughts! Comments! Kudos! Talk to me! I missed yooouuuu


	2. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof. Busy day so I couldn't get around to posting until this afternoon but here it is! As promised! (I'm a stickler for keeping a schedule apparently lol)

Fire erupted from Sypha’s hands, scorching night creatures and vampires alike as she swept the flames across their ranks. But there was more, there was always more.

“It’s time to go!” Trevor’s voice called out to her, the morningstar whip lashing out to explode any undead thing it could touch. 

“We cannot abandon these people!” Sypha argued, huffing with effort as she summoned a barrage of ice shards, skewering several vampires into the ground. She wouldn’t give up, she wouldn’t let another village fall to this assault.

“Sypha!” Trevor called again in warning, fighting his way closer to her, trying to keep the onslaught of enemies from separating them too much. Finally, he got near enough to grab her arm, “Come on!”

“No!” Sypha tried to pull away, a spark of fire in one hand and ice in the other, ready and eager to fight until her last breath.

“Sypha look!” Trevor snapped at her, directing her attention to the unrecoverable battle. The ground was littered with dead, humans, vampires and night creatures alike. The only difference was that there were more undead coming and not more humans. Anyone else on their side had either perished or fled.

Sypha looked around in dismay at the carnage and then both their attentions were drawn to the horrifying roar of some massive beast that crested over the horizon and into view. “What is  _ that!? _ ” Sypha’s eyes widened at the two-story-tall horror before them.

“Our cue to leave.” Trevor gulped and turned to run, pulling her along with him. This time she didn’t resist, letting him lead while her eyes kept glancing back at the thing, watching more vampires swarm forward to take the town.

They had lost.

It wasn’t the running for their lives that left a bitter taste in Sypha’s mouth, running was exhilarating, running was part of the adventure and the fun of it. It was the loss that came before then, that part ate away at her soul. So many villages and towns had been hit by this new army sweeping its way across Wallachia. So many lives lost. So many people they had failed.

As much as it devoured the life from her spirit, she could see it was doing worse to Trevor. He had seen the darker side of things before, the defeat, the haunting screams and sting of failure. It had been crushing enough that he’d given up back then, she couldn’t bear to see him return to that bitter cold state he’d been in when they first met. Which meant that it was up to her not to lose hope, even when hope seemed… rather lost.

“... Did you see that thing with the wings?” Sypha asked Trevor as they travelled through the forest, finally slowing down as they had escaped the army for a while. The roads were too dangerous right now, constantly patrolled by deadly things, it was better to stay off them. 

“The one with three eyes?” Trevor asked back and then shuddered, “And the  _ tongue. _ ” 

“Really? You thought the tongue was the worst part of that thing?” Sypha grinned a little, “Not the flying spikes of death?”

“I can handle flying spikes of death,” Trevor shrugged, “But that tongue is going to haunt my nightmares. It  _ licked _ me Sypha, not like a little bit, like my whole body in one go. It was traumatizing, I’m traumatized.”

Sypha pressed her lips together for a moment, trying not to laugh at his response. “... But did you learn anything?” She pried curiously now.

“Other than how slimy a monster’s tongue feels?” Trevor grumbled back at her, his brow creased a little at the odd question.

“I’m just saying, all that tongue action and you still kiss like a wet fish,” Sypha explained so casually, “Maybe you should pay more attention next time.”

Trevor paused to stare at her, utterly indignant at the accusation, “I do not kiss like a wet fish. I’m a very good kisser.”

Sypha hummed and held back her smile as she kept walking, glad that she could still get a rise out of him despite the dire circumstances, “Mhmm, for a fish perhaps.” 

“Hang on,” Trevor pursued her through the forest, “How do  _ you _ know what a fish kisses like?” 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Night fell and dark settled in but Belnades and Belmont did not see fit to risk a fire. There were too many things that might be attracted to it in the dark. Spring was around the corner but the nights were still cold so they had to huddle together for warmth, except  _ someone _ kept shifting.

“Would you hold still for a bit?” Trevor complained quietly as Sypha moved again. He was trying to spoon her and she was making it difficult.

“Then let me have your arm as a pillow,” Sypha argued back, trying to get comfortable.

Trevor grumbled, shifting to accommodate, “If it starts falling asleep, I’m taking it back. I hate the feeling of pins and needles.” He watched her quietly as she settled down again, resting her head on his outstretched arm but her body remained too tense. Trevor frowned a little as worry creased his brow. 

Sypha hadn’t been sleeping much lately. He noticed the sadness in her eyes every time they had to retreat. Failure weighed so heavily on her shoulders, despite her best efforts not to let him see it. She kept forcing a smile whenever she caught his eye, kept verbally prodding at him as if it was her job to keep his spirits up through it all.

Trevor didn’t know how to reassure her back. He fought harder in every battle, desperate to give the woman the win that she so sorely needed. He wasn’t just failing these people, he was failing her.

“... Trevor?” She spoke quietly in the dark, as if he could have somehow fallen asleep by now. 

“Yeah?” Trevor asked softly in reply.

Sypha paused, chewing on her lip for a moment before continuing, “We’re losing this war. We’re losing Wallachia to those vampires, aren’t we?”

Trevor lifted his gaze up to the night sky, stars peeking down at them through the trees, “... Yeah… We are.” He confirmed with a heavy sigh, wishing he had more encouraging words for her. 

“You still suck at comforting,” Sypha accused bitterly, curling up a little tighter. Trevor pouted at that, knowing she was right, she deserved better.

Belmont paused, his thoughts grasping for something that could reassure her. They were being forced west, if they headed a little more South then maybe they could… hm… “Would it help if I had a plan?” Trevor offered quietly.

Sypha sat up at that and turned to face him properly, “You do?!”

“Well… yeah,” Trevor nodded, summoning the plan as he spoke and trying to make it sound like he’d plotted this all along, “We can’t fight off an army with just the two of us. That’s why we’re headed back in the direction of the Belmont hold. We get Alucard and head to Styria, murder the leaders of this army and tada! Save the world, again.” Perfect! Beautiful plan. And it might actually work too!

Sypha’s excitement turned to stoic criticism, “You want the three of us to charge across the frozen wastes of Styria and take out a castle of vampire queens?” Okay, she had a point, the plan was missing a few details. 

“Tada, save the world, again,” Trevor repeated because the last part of his plan was crucial. That was the happy, encouraging part that was supposed to give her hope, damnit!

Sypha raised a questioning brow at Trevor and he knew he was in trouble, “How are we getting past the army?” 

Trevor paused and then admitted, “I don’t know.” 

“How are we breaking into the castle?” Sypha continued.

“I don’t know…” Trevor admitted, scrambling to come up with details but his brain was failing him now. 

Sypha sighed, “How are we fighting through all the vampires and night creatures that are surely guarding them?”

“Would you believe, I don’t know?” Trevor gave a sheepish grin.

Sypha crossed her arms and laid down again with a pout, “Your plan seems to have a few holes in it.”

The Belmont just shrugged and settled back down with her again, letting out a sigh of resigned failure. She wasn’t wrong after all, “But it’s got one hell of an ending.” 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Sunlight shone upon the old stone runes of the Belmont house long forgotten. The half-crumpled walls were crawling with vegetation as nature attempted to reclaim the land. Despite the large remnants of the old abandoned home, however, these walls were dwarfed by the imposing presence of a massive castle. Great spires that rose high into the air and cast deep shadows across the old Belmont estate.

Nature was attempting to reclaim this structure as well. 

A massive hole in one large dining room had allowed the weather in, day in and day out until the rain and sleet eventually leaked it’s way three floors down and into a bathroom. A bathroom that had been the perfect breeding ground for a dark mold to begin to grow and spread across the walls and tiles. 

Alucard had discovered this in a rather unfortunate way, when he had required the use of said bathroom. He opened the door and then covered his mouth and nose in disgust, slamming the portal shut again. “... Guess I’m not using that anymore,” The half-vampire heaved a sigh and turned away, going to locate somewhere else to relieve himself. 

The castle was in such pitiful disarray and Alucard just didn’t have the will to tend to it. Every day he would walk past some disastrous area; a hole in the wall, toppled furniture, a stray corpse, and every day the thought of cleaning it up just brought despair to his soul. He was barely keeping himself together, how could he manage a whole castle?

How disappointed his mother would be to see the state of things, she was such a clean and organized woman. She had always insisted that Alucard tidy his own room and the man even had fond memories of cleaning the dishes together with her. She would wash and spend the time to tell him such wonderful stories and curious things while he dried the plates next to her.

_ ~Wash up before dinner!  _

_ Clean your room before bed!  _

_ Don’t you track that mud on my nice clean rug, mister!~ _

Alucard stood at the top of a set of stairs, leaning upon the railing that overlooked the entranceway hall and its broken doors left wide open. His gaze turned down to see the dirt and debris that had blown inside and across the blood-stained carpet. He would never hear his mother complain about the sight of it. He would never again hear his father tell the story of how they’d met, just over there…

With a heavy sigh, Alucard pushed off the railing and continued outside of the castle, fuck it, he’d piss outside. 

The ache in his chest was just a numbing constant now with every little thing reminding him of something he had lost. The bodies on spikes just outside the door were only more of the same. A reminder of good things that could never be. Alucard wandered along the side of the building to pee but mid-stream his sharp ears picked up a noise.

“What the ever-loving shit?” 

Alucard knew that voice, although it had felt like a lifetime ago, it was gruff with a hint of stupidity along the edges.

“Um… Maybe it wasn’t him?” A second familiar voice had Alucard tucking himself back into his pants quickly. “Maybe someone else came by and…” 

“Took over the castle from a powerful half-vampire who can turn into a wolf and wields a magic sword?” The first, stupid voice, replied. At least it admitted Alucard’s superiority.

Alucard felt his mouth go dry. It was Trevor and Sypha, they’d actually returned and of course the first thing they saw were the bodies. It was probably an alarming thing, for a pair of humans to come across but of course, that had been the point hadn’t it? To ward off intruders, he just hadn’t expected the intruders to be people he knew.

“Maybe... They were really terrible people?” Sypha’s voice was losing its optimism.

Alucard sighed and made his way back around to the front door, seeing the pair had made their way cautiously inside. His shadow cast across the ruined carpet with the sun behind him, “I assure you, they were not terrible.” The half-vampire held a blank gaze upon the pair he would call... friends? Were they still? His emotions had become rather detached from himself at this point although the nervous concern in the humans seemed apparent and that  _ bothered  _ him. 

What must they think of him now? The crazed half-vampire, gone mad like his father, killing and impaling humans. Had they come to see him or to kill him? Had the local chatter of the monster in Dracula’s castle reached their ears?

“So you’re just killing not-terrible people now?” Trevor’s grip tightened on his weapon and Alucard’s gaze flitted briefly to the blessed metal whip at the gruff man’s side. Alucard glanced between the pair of them curiously.

Trevor looked terrible, Sypha did too for that matter but Trevor was worse. They both looked like they had been living in a forest for a month but Trevor had the added effect of sleepless bags hanging beneath his eyes and general shittiness. 

Alucard just heaved a sigh and gestured openly, “Have you returned here to kill me, Belmont?” The half-vamp looked relaxed but he was a twitch of a finger away from summoning his sword into action. Once upon a time he and the Belmont had found a comfortable back and forth but at the end of the day, Trevor was trained to hunt monsters and Alucard was one. The half-vamp was already convinced that Belmont would degrade back upon his flawed ancestral training at a moment’s notice.

Trevor’s jaw clenched, glaring back at Alucard, “It wasn’t the plan but hey, things change.” There it was, that eager light of murder in Trevor’s eyes that fed the bitter void in Alucard’s blackened heart.

“Stop it, both of you!” Sypha snapped at the pair, standing in the large space between them, as if she could hold off the inevitable. “Or I’ll trap the pair of you in ice and leave you there until it melts.” She glanced from one to the other before settling on Alucard, “What happened?”

Alucard let his eyes glance around the ruined entranceway, “Well… There were these vampires, a large battle, I think you were there for most of it actually…” What the fuck did she want from him? She would side with Trevor, she always did in the end. Humans kept to their own kind just as vampires did. Alucard was neither, both, some monstrosity in between to be left abandoned.

“Not the hallway, Alucard,” Sypha directed firmly as she stepped towards him. Alucard noted that Trevor had his morning star whip at the ready still. Such a foolish man, he didn’t stand a chance. Perhaps they were going to be the next addition to his lawn ornaments? 

“There are a few holes upstairs too,” Alucard glanced upward thoughtfully, eyes distant. He was drawing out the inane conversation because he didn’t want to do this, he didn’t want to kill more friends. Why couldn’t they just have stayed away? “From that whole escapade of murdering my father… lots of holes actually…” He hummed with a frown.

Trevor grit his teeth, “The  _ bodies _ , Alucard!” He snapped, “How did they get there?”

Alucard paused and looked to Trevor, ever the impatient brute. He could see the worry in Sypha’s eyes too, she  _ should  _ be worried. They had entered his den and only death awaited here.

“I put them there,” Alucard responded to Trevor’s question finally, direct and yet cheeky, daring for the human to attack first, to show his true colours. Eyes stared Trevor down, just looking for a reason to leap into action and fight; to draw blood, to hit and be hit, to  _ feel  _ something. “If you would not care to join them, I suggest you leave.”

“Alucard,” Sypha protested, stepping towards him, “I don’t know what happened here but you can talk to us. Please, whatever happened I’m sure we can sort it out.”

Alucard hissed back at her, his vampiric fangs making a threatening appearance that startled Sypha enough for her to stop her advances. He glared at the woman as he saw the brief moment of fear in her eyes, the question of fight or flight that tensed her muscles. It was the base instinct of any animal when confronted by a predator and sweet, smarty-pants Sypha was not above it. How  _ dare  _ she feign to care about him?! She could cast all the cordial words in the world but at the end of the day, she still saw him -feared him- for the monster that he was.

“That’s it,” Trevor stepped forward, ignoring Sypha’s protests as he cracked the whip at Alucard.

Alucard leapt into the air to avoid the consecrated weapon, his magic blade soared from where it had been left upon the balcony. The hilt coming into his outstretched hand before he landed and lunged forward to retaliate with unnatural speed. Trevor pulled on the whip, the chain rippling up upon his command to lash at Alucard again.

Suddenly the pair of them froze, literally, as Sypha summoned a block of ice to envelope the pair before they could make contact with one another. Only their respective heads remained outside the encompassing ice, their faces were barely ten inches apart. Alucard’s sword was poised to slash at Trevor’s chest while the whip was stuck a few inches from Alucard’s skin. 

Alucard seethed and bared his fangs, the sharp points extending as he strained his neck to try and reach Trevor but the Belmont was too far away, barely out of reach. Trevor grunted as he struggled against the ice’s hold and called to the woman in protest, “Syphaaaa!!!”

“I warned you,” Sypha strolled over to the pair casually and raised her hands to flick each of them in the forehead simultaneously, “No fighting.”

“He’s trying to BITE ME!” Trevor argued.

“You attacked me first,” Alucard accused.

Trevor scoffed, giving the blond an incredulous look, “You’ve got dead bodies at the front door!” 

“Why don’t you join them?” Alucard dared with venom in his eyes, the rage burning in his chest. How dare these foolish mortals invade his grave, “You already smell as bad as a corpse.” 

Sypha frowned at that, eyeing Alucard for a moment before she sighed, “Hm, you do smell pretty bad Trevor.”

Alucard startled a little at her agreement, feeling the edges of his bitterness begin to break with the shock of it. What was she doing? She ought to be helping Trevor vanquish this castle’s evil owner. For surely Alucard was a monster like his father, hollow and heartless and driven to madness. He deserved the same ill fate.

“Oh common!” Trevor whined in reply to her, all sense of the altercation between himself and Alucard suddenly lost in the pout of a man-child, “It’s not that bad!”

“It’s  _ pretty bad _ ,” Sypha insisted, “You need a bath.”

Trevor shook his head, “I bathed in that stream just the other day!”

Sypha crossed her arms and gave him a stern look, “You fell into a stream while fighting night creatures. That doesn’t count.”

“It does too!” Trevor attempted to defend himself, “I got wet and everything!” He struggled against the ice still. “Jeeze this is cold! Syphaaa!” 

“Getting wet is not getting  _ clean _ ,” Sypha shook her head at the scruffy man, ignoring his pleas with a haughty huff and raise of her chin.

Alucard stared at the pair bickering away. The sound of it made his heart ache, creeping into that bitter numbness that had settled into his bones for too long. The half-vampire swallowed back the sudden and overwhelming rise of emotion in his throat but he couldn’t hold back the tears welling in his eyes. What was wrong with him? He'd attacked them, his friends. He'd tried to _kill_ them! God, he really had snapped, how could he ever have thought Trevor and Sypha to be anything but the ridiculous, lovely pair that they were? But Sumi and Taka had seemed much the same at first to. Fuck, he was so confused, and tired, his lip trembled.

Concern filled Sypha’s gaze again and she raised her hands, causing the ice to melt. Alucard’s sword dropped from his hand and clattered to the floor as the half-vamp slumped forward with tears streaming down his face. Trevor startled and let go of his weapon as well, catching Alucard instead, his blue eyes going wide at the sight of the unusually vulnerable man. 

Sypha stepped forward to wrap her arms around the pair and rubbed Alucard’s back sympathetically. Alucard flinched at first but relaxed into the touch and then buried his face into Trevor’s shoulder, unable to stop himself from shaking with a sob that wrought from his chest. God, he had missed them.

“See Treffy?” Sypha offered gently, “You smell so bad you’re making his eyes water…”

Alucard barked a laugh, half-strangled by his tears but genuine at least and he was grateful to her for it.

“Fine,  _ fine _ ,” Trevor grumbled, his arms around Alucard in a firm but gentle hold, “I’ll take a fucking bath.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you wondering, no Trevor was not Actually hell-bent on murdering Alucard! Silly beans. That’s just Alucard’s warped perspective on the situation. He’s not suuuppeeerr stable right now lmao 
> 
> This was my first attempt and writing the trio! I hope it went over well, please let me know in the comments below!
> 
> Feel free to drop a Kudos if you're a fan <3 It's always appreciated.
> 
> Special thanks to GamerGamii for being my Beta/Editor!


	3. Apologies

Alucard was alone in the kitchen stirring a pot of stew with his back to the entranceway when Trevor sauntered in like he owned the place. Alucard was grateful for the scent of actual soap coming from the man which meant he’d  _ actually _ put some effort into being clean.

“Oi, where’s Sypha?” Belmont questioned, glancing around the space as if he might find her hiding behind the table.

“I convinced her to bathe as well,” Alucard replied, “Although she wasn’t half as bad as you were, I thought she might-What the actual hell Belmont?!” The half-vampire exclaimed as he glanced over his shoulder to look at the man, utterly disturbed by the sight before him.

Trevor was wearing a towel around his waist and nothing else. Not. A. Thing. 

“What?” Trevor blinked and cocked his head to the side questioningly.

“You-For the love of God-CLOTHES! Where are they, you half-wit?!” Alucard snapped at him, “Have you not a shred of decency?!” He held up a hand to cover the sight of Trevor’s lower half from view. He quickly averted his gaze entirely and went back to stirring the stew, a blush creeping up onto his pale skin. “Of course you don’t. How is it that I keep forgetting you are every town’s idiot rolled into one?”

“What? All my shit’s dirty.” Trevor shrugged and flopped down into a chair at the small kitchen table, acting far too smug at Alucard’s discomfort. “You complain about me being dirty, now about me being clean, make up your mind already.”

“There are plenty of  _ clean _ clothing options in the castle. Literally just pick any of the guests rooms. They have plenty of spare attire in them,  _ pants  _ even!” Alucard insisted, keeping his back to Trevor but sneaking a peek over his shoulder to see what he was doing. Trevor was basically lounging in the simple wooden chair, “Oh my God.” Alucard turned away again, “I’m going to have to burn that chair now.”

“Oh get over yourself,” Trevor waved him off, “The first time I saw you, you were bloody shirtless.”

“ _ Shirtless _ , because I was  _ sleeping  _ and, I might add, recovering from a rather serious chest wound _ , _ ” Alucard retorted, “Not  _ pantless,  _ you dolt.”

“I’ve got a towel,” Trevor scoffed, having the nerve to gesture down to the fabric wrapped around his waist.

Alucard glowered at him, “A towel is a far cry from underpants, Belmont.” 

“Come on,” Trevor smirked, “You’re secretly enjoying the view, aren’t you?”

“I most certainly am not!” The half-vampire exclaimed, ignoring the heat he could feel rising beneath his collar.

“Mmhmm,” Belmont hummed in amusement and then glanced around the room, “So do you have any actual food around here? I’m not really interested in feasting on human hearts.”

“Damn, you’ll have to make do with crows feet in pigs blood then,” Alucard drawled in irritation, glad to have moved on from the previous conversation and keeping his back to the infuriating man, “I found the recipe in the Belmont hold. Apparently it’s been a family favourite for generations.”

Trevor wrinkled his nose in disgust, “It has  _ not _ ,” He retorted lamely, unable to summon a greater comeback than that. 

“I assure you, it has.” Alucard dared to glance back again and regretted it immediately, why did he keep looking?! “For the love of God if you close your damned legs I’ll give you something edible,” Alucard promised, pinching the bridge of his nose in disgust. 

The promise of food was enough to get Belmont to do most things. Alucard breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the man adjust his position while the half-vamp ladled some stew into a bowl and then dropped it in front of Trevor before going back to scoop some for himself. 

Trevor raised a brow at the meal, noting the distinct red colour and poking at it with his spoon. “Uuhh… what’s this?”

“A traditional Ukrainian dish called Borscht,” Alucard explained calmly as he sat across from the human and then noted Trevor’s uncertain gaze. “... Oh for the love of…! It’s  _ beets _ , Belmont. Blood is not the only thing in the world that’s red, you  _ do  _ know that, don’t you?”

“Obviously,” Trevor huffed but still eyed the meal suspiciously. 

Alucard glared at him for a moment before he just sighed and shook his head, looking gloomily down at his own meal and resigning himself to eating some. Alucard tried to ignore the man’s staring from across the table. There was no way _Trevor_ _Belmont_ could see through his mask of indifference to the dark pit of despair that was eating him away inside. At least that was comforting, knowing Belmont was too stupid to pick up on these things. He would have to summon more of a guard up around Sypha when she returned though. The woman was too perceptive.

“... I know you don’t just drink blood and eat human hearts.” Trevor’s voice pulled Alucard from his gloom-driven thoughts.

Alucard blinked and raised his gaze in confusion to the Belmont, “What?”

“I mean… I’ve seen you eat normally so… y’know” Trevor averted his eyes awkwardly, “I was just teasing or whatever.”

Alucard’s amber eyes narrowed on the man suspiciously, “Yes well… Are you  _ apologizing  _ to me, Belmont?”

“What? No! Well I mean, maybe?” Trevor shifted and then huffed, “So what if I am?”

Alucard eyed the man carefully, either something was wrong with Belmont or Alucard’s mask wasn’t as impervious as he had thought. There had to be something wrong with Belmont, this required further prompting, “... You just tried to kill me in the foyer but you’re apologizing for teasing me about my eating habits?”

“Okay, well… I’m sorry about that too,” Trevor admitted begrudgingly, “But for the record I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

“Oh?” Alucard raised a brow at the man skeptically.

“ _ Obviously _ ,” Trevor straightened in his seat, “If I’d meant to kill you, you’d be dead. But seriously, the uh… bodies out front had me kinda worried that you’d gone off the deep end a bit…”

“Like my father?” Alucard’s gaze fell to the stew in front of himself, the meal suddenly unappetising to him, his stomach churning uncomfortably.

Trevor watched the man with a frown, “You’re not like him. I mean, the whole people on stakes thing is a bit concerning, but I do annoying shit I learned from my father too, doesn’t mean I’m him.” he shrugged and then scratched the back of his head awkwardly, “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I dunno. You can be better than Dracula? You just looked like you were spiralling back there and then you kinda hissed at Sypha which - not cool by the way. I figured a little sparring might snap you out of it? Sometimes getting into a brawl was the only thing that helped keep my head on straight before I met up with Sypha. I mean, that and a lot of beer.”

Alucard’s amber gaze lifted to stare at Trevor, “... So you attacked me to…  _ help  _ me?” He knew Belmont was dense but that seemed next level stupid.

“Yeah,” Trevor nodded, “Now you’re getting it.”

“And… you’re apologizing if you hurt my feelings?” Alucard questioned to clarify, trying not to be concerned about the fact that he was actually making sense out of the brute.

Trevor shrugged, “I guess I am.”

Alucard stared at him, then rose and crawled over the top of the table towards the human, sliding the bowls of stew out of the way as he moved with swift grace. Trevor tried to lean back but Alucard was basically on top of him in seconds, the blond’s long pale fingers reaching up to grip Trevor’s chin. Alucard tilted Trevor’s face this way and that, looking him over with an intense gaze.

Alucard could feel Trevor’s pulse sky-rocket at the contact. Belmont pressed back in his seat as far as he could, his voice faltering, “w-what are you doing?”

The blond’s cool touch moved to Trevor’s forehead, “You don’t  _ appear  _ to be ill… Have you been having other symptoms? Fever, chills, erectile dysfunction?”

“W-What?!” Trevor stammered, Alucard noted the flush of colour rising to Trevor’s cheeks. He could feel the warmth radiating from the man, not a fever but clearly some other biological reaction that Alucard found endlessly entertaining to be the cause of.

“Umm… Am I interrupting?” Sypha stared at the pair from the doorway, her eyes trailing over the mostly naked Trevor and then Alucard on the table, poised over him. Sypha was wide-eyed at the scene but also had the hint of a grin tugging at her lips.

Trevor hastily swatted at Alucard’s hands, pushing the man off of him. He leaned too far back in his chair while trying to get away from the blond however and Trevor ended up tumbling backwards and crashed onto the floor. Alucard recoiled and held up a hand to block the sight of Trevor’s genitalia as the towel fell askew.

“For fuck’s sake Belmont, cover yourself. No one wants to see that.” The half-vamp demanded as he pulled away and to his feet to greet Sypha but paused as he saw her. She was wearing an oversized, white bathrobe and had a towel around her shoulders as she dabbed at her wet hair. “... How is it that neither of you seemed capable of finding clean clothes?”

“Hey, this is cosy!” Sypha argued, “And I didn’t want to take too long to get back. Now what’s this about erectile dysfunction?” She glanced between Alucard and Trevor.

“I think Belmont is sick,” Alucard explained simply, gesturing towards the incompetent man, “He has a loss of appetite and he  _ apologized  _ to me.”

“My appetite is fine!” Trevor exclaimed, picking himself up from the floor and adjusting his towel.

“You haven’t even touched your stew,” Alucard pointed out to the man.

“Neither have you!” Trevor defended hastily but was ignored.

“That does sound serious,” Sypha frowned, touching a curious finger to her lips, “But I would have noticed if he had a penis problem so you can count that out of your diagnosis.”

Alucard’s amber eyes slid back to Sypha as if pulled by a sudden magnetic force, “What?”

“So I suppose it’s just the sudden change in behaviour and loss of appetite to worry about,” Sypha continued casually.

“I’M NOT SICK!” Trevor protested loudly and then grabbed the bowl off the table and began shovelling food down his throat, “See?! I’m eating! I’m fine!” He paused and looked at the bowl, “Shit that’s half-decent…” He settled back into his seat and started slurping it directly from the bowl, some of the liquid dribbling down his chin.

“Oh, I guess he’s fine then,” Sypha beamed and went to get a bowl of stew for herself, patting Alucard’s arm sympathetically in passing.

Alucard heaved a sigh, delicate fingers touching to his face in utter disgust at the man’s behaviour. Trevor had red liquid dribbling down his front now, sliding along the grooves of well-toned abs in a disturbingly distracting way. Alucard swallowed and averted his gaze, “Aside from him requiring  _ another  _ bath now, I suppose you’re right… Lack of manners is hardly indicative of anything more than the usual mental deficiencies.”

“Yeah, yeah, fuck you too,” Trevor wiped his mouth off on his bare arm before going to get more of the stew with Sypha. 

Alucard watched the pair for a moment before he sank back down and settled his lonely amber eyes back upon his bowl without touching it. That darkness swirled uncomfortably in his chest but he tried to push it down. Sypha was here, she might actually notice.

“Sooo,” Sypha sidled up next to the half-vamp at the table as Trevor sat across from him again. “You wanna talk about it?”

“I told you before Sypha,” Alucard sighed, immensely regretting his earlier break down, “I’m fine.” 

“Oh yeah,” Trevor chimed in between spoonfuls of stew, “Propping people up onto stakes outside your front door and then crying in your friends arms is classic ‘ _ I’m fine _ ’ behaviour.”

“And you’re such a model specimen for mental stability?” Alucard shot back to Belmont with a heated glare that only subdued when Sypha touched his arm gently.

“Alucard…” The woman’s voice drew the blond’s gaze, “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, we understand… It’s just, well, we’re worried about you.”

Alucard sighed and closed his eyes, letting silence settle into the room. How stupid had it been to burst into tears upon seeing them again, stupid and puerile to cry like a child who had missed his friends so dearly. He regretted it in a way that wrought shame upon his features and he knew they were never going to let this go. Perhaps it was better just to explain and get it over with. 

Where to even begin though? Alucard’s mouth opened once or twice, ready to start and then stopping. He gulped down nothing but air as he felt his mouth go dry. From the beginning then, “Their names were Taka and Sumi…” 

Alucard explained, as best he could, what had happened. Just speaking the names of his human betrayers left his tongue feeling like sandpaper. He remained fairly vague about the specific details around their deaths but Sypha seemed to pick up on the gist of it. With all of that laid out and their bowls empty on the table, Sypha leaned over and wrapped her arms around Alucard.

“I’m sorry,” The speaker magician whispered to him. 

“It’s hardly your fault,” Alucard relaxed in her hold, taking a controlled breath. It felt good to unload all that but he was determined not to cry again. Alucard had already promised himself that once a day was enough for such things.

“Perhaps,” Sypha pouted, “But we never should have left you here alone, at the very least not for so long. We could have sent letters or found our way back to visit sooner if we had known what you were going through.”

“Seriously, you should have said something,” Trevor frowned, arms crossed and looking almost as sorry as Sypha did, “We wouldn’t have left you alone so long otherwise.” 

The blond shrugged slightly, “And say what? That following a year after the death of my mother I murdered my father with the broken post from my childhood bed, in my childhood room, and now I remain haunted by the ghosts of their memories in this place? It doesn’t exactly come up easily in conversation.”

“... That was your bedroom?” Sypha’s eyes widened.

“Yes. From when I was younger. What other purpose would there be for a child’s room to exist in Dracula’s castle?” Alucard raised a brow at her as though it had been obvious. 

Sypha pressed her lips together sheepishly, “I guess… I didn’t really think about it…”

Alucard just sighed and shrugged, “Well, it can’t be helped now. What’s done is done.” He lifted his gaze to look between the pair, “But… it  _ is  _ nice to have you back here. Thank you, for coming back for me.” He felt a little guilty for admitting that out loud but it was true, he had missed them dearly.

“... Yeeeaahh,” Trevor agreed awkwardly, “About that…”

Alucard’s eyes narrowed on the man again before he glanced at a very guilty looking Sypha, “You didn’t come back just for me, did you?” There was a faint ache of betrayal in his heart, of course they didn’t come back just for him.

“We did!” Sypha protested, “Just… not  _ only  _ that.”

A serious look spread over the half-vamp’s fine features as something twisted uncomfortably in his stomach, “What happened?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Alucard, Trevor and Sypha! There's a lot to catch up on with them so I had to do two chapters of them back to back. They also really like to run away with my writing lol.  
> Don't worry, we'll be returning to Styria next week!
> 
> As always, I want to hear your thoughts! Comment, Kudos, whatever you'd like, I always try to respond ^_^  
> Stay Fabulous
> 
> Special Thanks to GamerGamii <3


	4. Convenient Truths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last time in Styria:  
> Isaac arrived at the gates of the Styrian stronghold, out for Hector's blood. But he's a reasonable man and agreed to meet with Lenore to discuss the possibility of avoiding a battle between them.

Isaac and Lenore sat across from each other, each sitting on their own red couch with a table of sweet treats and a variety of beverages between them. 

“You keep a lot of human food around,” Isaac observed, not having touched a single morsel of it. He had barely looked at any of it since coming to sit down and generally was unimpressed by this or the castle thus far. Dracula’s castle could easily put this one to shame and at least it had useful things within. Everything in that place had held a purpose,  _ this  _ castle seemed like a waste of space in comparison. 

Lenore just smiled, “It never hurts to indulge now and again and when I do, I prefer it to be the best quality. Please, help yourself.”

“Such indulgences are a little too close to gluttony for my taste,” Isaac replied calmly, his gaze settling onto her and ignoring the small tea-time feast.

“Ah yes… Hector mentioned that you were the religious type,” Lenore observed, “A man of simple needs. Can I get you anything at all then? Water? Bread?”

“I am fine,” Isaac replied calmly. If she was trying to appease him into changing his mind about the death of Hector, she was going to have to do a lot better than this. His eyes turned towards the window nearby, his army in full view as they had agreed. Two of his formidable night creatures stood guard behind him as well while Lenore seemed perfectly comfortable being there on her own. But that only meant that she believed she could still take him in a fight, despite Isaac’s precautions. 

“Hector also mentioned that you were very close with the late Lord Dracula,” Lenore offered sympathetically, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Are you?” Isaac raised a brow at her, “Even though you harbour those responsible for his demise?”

“Do you mean Hector?” Lenore questioned innocently, “He didn’t kill Dracula, Isaac. Hector’s been just as torn up about the great Vampire’s passing as you are.”

“I highly doubt that,” Isaac’s lips pulled back into a disgruntled frown, “Hector betrayed my Lord Dracula.”

“I assure you, it’s true,” Lenore insisted solemnly, resting a hand over her chest with a sadness in her eyes, “I can see how it weighs on his heart, how he wishes that he could take it all back. I’ve tried to help him move on from it but… I think a piece of him will always remain back there, in a castle far from this one.”

A heavy darkness came across Isaac’s features. Lenore’s words had, begrudgingly, found purchase in him. Isaac also felt like a part of him remained in Dracula’s castle, eternally bound to the noble faith he’d had in the incredible vampire. But Isaac had not forsaken Dracula, he sought to avenge the man, to bring justice to an unjust world. “Hector made his choice,” the Forgemaster stated with malice on his tongue.

“Have you truly never made a mistake before, Isaac?” Lenore continued, “Have you no regrets?”

Isaac cracked a smile at her words, “Oh yes… I have plenty,” he admitted. “Most of them involve allowing myself to be spoiled by the kindness of a few, only to be repeatedly disappointed by the brutality and ignorance of the rest.” He found Lenore’s gaze and held it firmly, “But that is a human folly.”

Lenore gave him a smile, “You believe vampires to be different?”

“Don’t you?” Isaac eyed her again.

Lenore let out a small giggle at that, “Well, yes. But I’m more curious about  _ your _ perspective, Isaac,” she crossed her legs and leaned back comfortably.

“Even though I am human?” Isaac challenged, “Or are you just interested in stalling me so that your warrior sister can find a way to eliminate my horde?” No doubt the one called Striga was sizing up his army as they spoke but Isaac wasn’t worried. He had taken a look at their defences before coming, if they were smart they wouldn’t risk an altercation unless necessary. 

Lenore’s smile grew a little, “If you suspected such a thing, why did you agree to come inside?”

“I was curious,” Isaac admitted, glancing around the plush room, “To see what sort of life Hector had bought with his betrayal.”

The vampire eyed him with a calculating gaze, “And what do you think of Hector’s cage then?” Lenore asked and then added, “Yes, I’d really like to know. You are a rather fascinating man, Isaac.”

“I think it is far more than he deserves,” Isaac replied with venom in his eyes. “He seems to have been given every comfort in exchange for providing you with night creatures.” 

“We have an arrangement, yes,” Lenore smiled, looking to her nails for a moment before flexing her fingers and resting them comfortably on her knee, “He was quite resistant at first but once I made him my pet, he’s learned to adapt quite well.”

Isaac blinked at that and let out a low chuckle that rumbled into a proper laugh. Lenore watched him curiously as the man doubled over, holding his stomach as his muscles actually hurt from the mirth that shook them. Isaac had to wipe tears of amusement from his eyes as he fought to get himself back under control so he could try to speak again between the breaths of laughter. “Your… Your  _ pet, _ ” he chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. Of all the fates to befall the man, this was truly the most poetic, “And how did you manage such a wonderful thing?”

“I had him pledge his loyalty to me,” Lenore explained, a smile on her lips as she watched Isaac’s mirth, “While he happened to be wearing a slave ring.” She showed Isaac the matching ring on her finger, holding her hand up into view, “He didn’t know what he was doing at the time of course but that hardly matters for this sort of magic to take hold. Now all of his night creatures obey me and my sisters as faithfully as they would him.”

“Hm… I imagine if he died, that connection may not survive,” Isaac observed, dark cinnamon eyes locking onto the sight of the ring for a moment. He had seen such things before, they had generally been reserved for controlling high-quality slave stock - a thing he himself had never been deemed worthy of in the past, “It would seem then, that our interests remain opposed.” 

“I’m having a little trouble understanding something, could you help me with it?” Lenore leaned forward, “You blame Hector for Dracula’s death… but he wasn’t even there.”

“Hector betrayed Dracula, that betrayal led to my Lord’s death,” Isaac frowned.

“Yes, I get that but… Do you know who actually killed him?” Lenore pried, “Who literally plunged the stake through his heart, murdering the King of all Vampires in cold blood?”

Isaac paused at that, “I… believe I do…” He admitted but he had been so focused on getting to Styria, on claiming Hector’s life that he hadn't given much thought to anything else. Perhaps after he killed Hector, he would seek out Alucard next?

“You  _ believe _ ? Weren’t you there?” Lenore seemed somewhat surprised. “Such a devoted man as yourself. I would have thought you’d stick around.”

Isaac felt the bitter sting of that memory burn within him and he knew it showed through in his voice, “I wanted to be there,” he glared aside at the base of the window, not really seeing what was there but for a moment reliving that terrible memory, “But Master Dracula cast me through a transmission mirror, he saw the end coming and sought to save me from it rather than  _ himself _ .”

Lenore’s eyes widened, “He cared for you that much?”

“I do not know why he did it,” Isaac closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the ache of the memory deep in his chest. He had been ready to stand by Dracula until the end, he held no fear of death; why would Dracula demand Isaac’s life be saved over his own? The question had plagued him constantly since that day.

“He loved you,” Lenore replied, her voice suddenly so gentle.

Isaac breathed an empty laugh into the room, “I would not be so arrogant to assume my Lord’s motives were anything so impassioned for me.”

“Why not?” Lenore inquired, “Vampires are capable of love, Dracula himself proved that to be true. He loved his human wife so dearly that losing her drove him into madness.”

“He was not mad,” Isaac shot her a glare at that, “He was grieving. And unleashing his justified wrath upon a sick world was his right.”

“Perhaps…” Lenore tilted her head as she observed Isaac, “But I think that in all his grief, you brought him solace. I think he  _ must  _ have loved you, Isaac.” 

“I was but his humble servant,” Isaac shook his head, “A weapon to be wielded as he saw fit.”

“You don’t sacrifice yourself for a weapon,” Lenore pointed out, “Self-preservation is built into every species on earth but with vampires, it is a powerful force that drives us from deep within. You don’t live for centuries just to turn around and stake yourself in the sunlight. So to be capable of ignoring that instinct… to preserve someone else’s life over our own? It would take something much stronger and even then, most couldn’t do it.” She leaned back comfortably, her eyes set with this firm belief, “He truly loved you.”

Isaac flinched at those words as they reminded him of others from his past, ~ _ I love you too _ ~ words that were followed by the cruel sting of a whip on his back ~ _ This is how I love you _ ~. 

Isaac had felt his heartbreak when he’d fallen upon the sands, looking up to see Dracula’s face for the last time as the mirror’s portal closed. The whip had hurt less. 

Love, why was it always a thing that brought pain? Love was a horrible, cruel beast to inflict upon another person. Why would Dracula do such a thing to him?

“You wish he hadn’t?” Lenore asked and Isaac set his gaze upon the woman again, mentally cursing her for being able to see him so clearly. Damn, she was good.

“He may yet live if that were the case,” Isaac pointed out as he straightened, collecting himself from the bitter memories, “I could have done something to protect him.”

“I don’t think you could have,” Lenore replied with confidence, shaking her head at that, “Dracula had one foot set firmly in the grave since the day his wife died. There wasn’t much left you could do about that.”

“And how is it that you knew the vampire so intimately?” Isaac eyed her curiously now.

“Oh I didn’t,” Lenore chuckled, “I never actually met Dracula myself. But I’ve read his published works of old, any self-respecting vampire has really. Not to mention Carmilla speaks terribly of him which only solidifies that he was an incredible man.” She smiled and even Isaac had to chuckle at that one. “But more importantly, actions speak louder than words and everything that Dracula did up until his death has painted a detailed picture of who he was. He used his final brush strokes to paint you a future rather than to see you end with his signature and that in itself speaks volumes on his character.”

“Hm. He was truly a great being,” Isaac hummed in agreement and leaned back, his gaze still solidly on Lenore as he tried to read her as easily as she seemed able to read him. 

“And he deserves to be avenged,” Lenore continued, “All I’m saying is that you should target those truly responsible. Target the ones that ripped Dracula’s castle across the lands so they could murder him. Why are you wasting your time with a little human pet when you could eliminate the one who stole your Master Dracula from you? Is it vengeance for Dracula that you’re after Isaac? Or is it vengeance for yourself?”

Isaac’s brow furrowed at her, “ _ All  _ I do is in Dracula’s name. Hector betrayed-”

“ _ You _ ,” Lenore interrupted the man with a steely gaze, “Hector betrayed  _ you _ , Isaac. You trusted him, you trusted his loyalty and he failed you as much as he failed your Lord and Master. If you’re going to begin a vendetta for revenge, at least start with being honest with yourself about it, otherwise you’re just going to end up going after the wrong people.”

Isaac found himself speechless. Her words slithered into his head and found a truth to wrap around, one that he hadn't realized had been present all along. Had he begun serving his own agenda and not Draculas? Was this revenge he wanted against Hector his  _ own _ ? He had seen Alucard storm the castle, chasing them up the stairs as they’d retreated to Dracula’s study. It was obvious that the boy had killed his father, obvious that Alucard and his friends were the ones to blame. But it was Hector that made Isaac’s blood boil with rage.

“I normally despise when people question my loyalty,” Isaac stated, his dark eyes searching Lenore’s features. “For I do not give it easily to others. I cast it in steel and bind it to my heart.”

“I didn't mean to offend,” Lenore offered genuinely, “It was just an observation.” 

Isaac raised a brow at her, “It is also a convenient truth to distract me from my goals,” he paused and frowned, more at himself now, “But even a convenient truth is truth all the same.” Isaac sighed as he contemplated that notion. He still wanted Hector to die but his own words echoed back at him from his conversation with Hector outside Dracula’s castle. 

_ ~How is it disloyal?~ _ Hector had asked, so naively.

~ _ When it is serving you and not him~ _ was Isaac’s firm reply.

“It seems like a terrible waste of time to come all this way just to leave him alive,” Isaac commented eventually.

The vampire grinned again, “Well… it doesn’t have to be.” Isaac’s dark eyes narrowed on her suspiciously as she continued, “You have quite the lovely army, Isaac. And it just so happens that my sisters and I have taken up the cause of conquering Wallachia in Dracula’s stead. I’m afraid that it would be more a cull than an extermination but surely that could appeal to you as well?”

Isaac’s brow raised at her, “I have no interest in being added to your collection of Forgemaster  _ pets. _ ”

Lenore chuckled at that, “No offence but you would make a terrible pet, Isaac.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Isaac replied, “Although I’m curious as to why you, a vampire, would think so.”

The vampire woman grinned, a hint of her sharp fangs peeking between her lips, “Just something my self-preservation is telling me.”

“I see why you have a seat at Carmilla’s council.” Isaac chuckled in reply, “You are a very good diplomat.”

“Does that mean you’re interested?” Lenore smirked.

Isaac mulled over the thought for a moment, “Hm. I might be,” he accepted and then smiled back at her, “But I do have a requirement before we discuss anything further,” Isaac added, watching her with new interest. How refreshing it was to deal with vampires again. “I wish to speak with Hector.”

Lenore touched a finger to her lips as she deliberated on that, “Hm, I think that could be arranged.” 

“Alone,” Isaac insisted, watching her carefully.

Lenore frowned at that, “That sounds a bit reckless. You’ve admitted to wanting to kill him.”

Isaac just smiled and shrugged, relaxing back in his seat, “But you have convinced me otherwise.” He reasoned, “So there is no harm in it, is there? Unless you are doubting your own diplomatic ability?”

The vampire slowly grinned at his words, “Oh, I  _ like _ you,” she purred and Isaac knew he had her interest which was nearly as good as respect as far as vampires were concerned, now he just needed to keep it. Although he could tell that he was going to have to be careful with this one, Lenore was proving herself to be quite the wily opponent. 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Hector was pacing in the living room of his tower, a modest four-story home on the outer edge of the castle. Isaac was here, in Styria, what were the odds? What did he want? With the greeting of  _ ‘Betrayer’ _ there only seemed to be one logical answer; Isaac was here for revenge.

The undead chocolate lab whined up at her master as she danced around Hector’s feet. She jumped up to bump her head against his hand to gain his attention and distract him from the constant pacing. Hector sighed and stilled himself to crouch down and show the dog some love, “Don’t worry Penelope,” he assured the night dog as she leaned into his affections, “Lenore won’t let anything happen to us. We’re safe here.”

As if on cue the door opened and Lenore stepped inside, “Good evening Hector,” she greeted casually, as though Hector hadn’t just caught her chatting up his former colleague from Dracula’s castle.

“Lenore,” Hector was on his feet immediately, coming to her with worry and confusion in his eyes, seeking answers, “What’s going on? Why is Isaac here? What was-” 

“Shush pet, it’s alright,” Lenore reassured the man, cupping his cheek. Hector let the questions fall away from his lips and leaned into her touch instead. He closed his eyes and breathed to calm down, she wouldn’t answer his questions if he was just going to be worked up about it. Hector sighed and moved forward to rest his head on her shoulder as her fingers drew up through his hair with such warmth that it eased his nerves. Finally she deemed him calm enough to respond to his questions, “Isaac seems rather cross with you, Hector,” The vampire revealed, “He’s come all this way to kill you.”

“What?!” Hector lifted his head immediately, “Lenore! How can you say that so calmly?!” He took a step back, feeling the urge to pace again. Isaac was as skilled a warrior as he was a Forgemaster. Hector did not relish the idea of taking on such a proficient killer when his own abilities might not be up to par. 

“Oh hush, dear Hector,” Lenore giggled at his panic, “I won’t let that happen, obviously.” Hector breathed a sigh of relief at her words. She would keep her promise then, to protect him. “But you will have to speak with him,” She added the moment he began to relax, “Alone.”

Hector’s jaw clenched immediately, “Lenore!” How the fuck could she protect him if she wasn’t even in the room?! Isaac had been out there for months, honing his skills while Hector had been locked inside, playing fucking house. All that and she wanted him to face the man  _ alone _ ?

“He just wants to talk,” Lenore drew her fingers along the collar of Hector’s jacket, fixing it to sit properly. 

“And if he wants more than that?” Hector demanded stiffly.

“He’ll be unarmed,” Lenore shrugged and batted her eyelashes up at him, “Surely you can figure out how to hold your own against another little human?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing Isaac is hard okay? He's a stubborn boy, but I do hope you like my interpretation of him ^_^
> 
> Also I'd like to point out the use of the word "Love". Most people take that to mean romantic love but there are many, many different forms of love.  
> Honestly, the relationship between Isaac and Dracula, however you interpret it to have been, definitely involved some level of this emotion. There's no way he would have saved Isaac otherwise. But that's just my humble opinion <3
> 
> What do you think!? I love to hear from you through comments or even just a happy Kudos to know if you're liking the story thus far. Thanks for reading! <3
> 
> Special Thanks to GamerGamii


	5. Sleeping Dogs

((Back at Alucard’s Castle, Sypha and Trevor explain to Alucard their…  _ Master Plan _ .))

“So I figure we head to Styria, murder the leaders and tada! Save the world, again.” Trevor spelt out his plan, now that they had filled Alucard in on the current situation of the world. The group was still hanging out in the kitchen, Trevor still wearing nothing but a towel and Sypha in her cozy housecoat. 

“That… is barely a concept.” Alucard, the only one wearing proper attire, stared at the mortal man incredulously, “You call that a  _ plan _ ? How are we getting there? What about the army in the way?”

“So there’s a few details to flesh out,” Trevor dismissed his concerns with a wave of his hand, “I can’t come up with everything on my own y’know!”

Narrowing his gaze on Trevor Alucard breathed a sigh before he conceded, “Hm, true I suppose. We can hardly expect the mentally deficient child to think of all the details.” He turned to Sypha as Trevor guffawed, the half-vampire seeking someone with an ounce of common sense, “Perhaps we can use the mirror to get an idea on what we’d be walking into?”

“Ah, good idea, let’s go,” Sypha agreed and immediately jumped out of her seat, turning to leave.

Alucard chuckled in amusement at her enthusiasm, “Sypha, you do realize that the sun set about an hour ago, don’t you? You two should get some rest and some  _ clothes, _ ” He pointed specifically to Trevor without even deeming to look at the man. He had seen quite enough already.

Trevor just yawned and ignored the jab, “Yeah, I’m pretty beat. Let’s deal with it tomorrow”

“Indeed, You look like shit,” Alucard agreed with the man, “Even more than usual which is really saying something, Belmont. I honestly didn’t think you could do it.”

“Oi! You’re looking at one hundred percent, peak male physique,” Trevor defended, standing to strike a pose, gripping his towel to make sure it didn’t slip, “You’re just jealous that skinny ass of yours will never measure up.”

“I’m physically stronger and faster and better than you in every conceivable way,” Alucard chimed casually, “Even when you don’t look like utter shit, Belmont, which is rare. Go the fuck to bed and more importantly, go find some clothes.”

“Oooo, I’m so excited to have my own bed,” Sypha squealed eagerly and clapped her hands together as the thought occurred to her. 

That had Trevor’s attention suddenly and he blinked over at her, his posturing display beginning to falter, “What?”

“Oh don’t look so butt-hurt,” Sypha giggled at him, “Sometimes it’s just nice to steal all the blankets and curl up in a little nest of cosiness.”

“Since when did sharing a bed ever stop you from doing that?” Trevor raised an accusing brow at her, gesturing openly.

Sypha rolled her eyes, “I do not do that,” She argued and turned to leave, intent upon tracking down a spare room to stay in. 

“You do too!” Trevor argued, chasing after her, “You know what? I’m gonna enjoy having  _ my  _ own bed too. Far away from your cold toes!”

Alucard watched them go and then sighed and collected the empty dishes, taking them to wash in the sink. Once everything was put away, he eventually made his way back up to his own room and switched into a nightshirt, falling into bed only to stare up at the ceiling.

The castle wasn’t empty anymore. Trevor and Sypha were here and that was comforting yet… It was still so quiet. Alone in this room it felt just as isolating as the nights before, just as restless.

With a heavy sigh, Alucard ended up rising back out of bed and ran his fingers through his hair wearily, detangling the nonexistent knots from his golden locks. It seemed that this would be one of those sleepless nights. He blamed his vampiric heritage for such tempestuous evenings, ignoring the turbulent thoughts that plagued both his nightmares and waking moments. Alucard pushed himself to his feet and went to wander the castle halls, hoping that maybe he could walk it off and eventually the urge to sleep would hit him again. 

On nights like this, he’d end up sleeping in any odd corner of the castle. He could spend hours wandering aimlessly until then, it was a large castle after all, plenty of space to amble about. And so Alucard roamed the halls and graciously after an hour or two he was beginning to feel that weary edge settle back into his mind, dulling his senses and making his feet drag. The next thing he knew he was rounding a corner, eyes half-closed as he bumped directly into another person.

“Oh!” Sypha gasped, nearly falling over but Alucard quickly grabbed and pulled her close to keep her from careening over. She blinked up at him, rather startled, “Alucard! Um, hi,” She gave a sheepish smile. 

Alucard gently released her once he was certain she wouldn’t fall, his eyes immediately trailed the woman’s attire however. Apparently she had found a nightgown but still had the bathrobe wrapped around herself for an extra layer of warmth. “... Sypha? What are you still doing up?”

“Ummm,” Sypha swayed for a moment and then decidedly shrugged, “I couldn’t sleep. You?”

“Me neither,” Alucard subsequently yawned which brought a giggle to Sypha’s lips.

“Well, you look about ready to  _ now,”  _ She teased fondly, patting him on the arm.

“Yes well,” The blond sighed and shrugged, “I think I finally wore myself down. But if you wanted some company I could…” Alucard trailed off, his ears picking up movement and he turned to look back the way he’d come. There was only one other person for miles so it wasn’t difficult to guess who was lurking. “... Belmont? Are you skulking around my castle in the middle of the night?”

There was a beat of silence before the man replied with a wary, “Nooo…” Trevor poked his head around the corner and glanced around, “I wasn’t  _ skulking  _ anywhere.”

Alucard eyed the man, or what little he could see of him. Just Trevor’s head and shoulders had peaked into the hallway but that was enough for the half-vampire to note what was on the man’s body and a small grin played across his lips. “What are you wearing, Belmont?”

“Fuck off,” Trevor retorted which was as good as an admission to something scandelous.

“Ooo! Come out!” Sypha called to him, “I wanna see!” But when Trevor protested she just ran over and grabbed his arm to pull him into the hall, giggling fondly over the man.

“I normally sleep in the nude, this was the first thing I could find in the dark,” Trevor defended, definitely wearing a woman’s nightgown, backwards. 

“First of all,” Alucard drawled as he raised an elegant hand to hush the man for a moment, “Too much information. Secondly, why is it backwards?”

“Well… The shoulders felt too tight” Trevor explained, “So I flipped it around so the whole plunging neckline thing was on the back and now I can move better.”

Alucard stared at him for a moment as the man’s astounding logic took a moment to settle in, “You are truly an astounding level of moron.” He paused as he looked between Trevor and Sypha for a moment, steadily putting two and two together, “... you lot were sneaking off to each other, weren’t you?” 

“Whaaat?” Trevor tried to play innocent, badly, “Us? Haha, noooo, that’s, heh, um...”

Alucard rolled his eyes and turned his accusatory gaze to Sypha, “I thought you were looking forward to having a bed to yourself?”

“I was!” Sypha exclaimed and then sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat as she admitted, “And it was nice, at first, but then it just felt kinda lonely. I’m not used to being alone that much, especially to sleep.” She rubbed her arm awkwardly.

“And I was just… Worried about her,” Trevor piped up with his terrible excuse and an entirely unconvincing smile, “Yep, just coming to check on Sypha.”

Alucard glowered at Trevor with a blank and mildly annoyed stare before he shook his head and sighed, “Whatever. It’s none of my business. Goodnight,” He dismissed the pair with a wave of his hand and turned to leave, what did it matter to him what those two did behind closed doors anyway? He was ever the outsider to their quiet moments of cuddling and warm embraces. No one saw a vampire and thought ‘now there’s someone I want to be with,’ not Trevor and Sypha, not Taka and Sumi… no one.

“Wait!” Sypha chimed and Alucard paused, allowing himself to look back at her with that cold mask of indifference on his features as she spoke, “The beds here are huuuuge, maybe we can  _ all  _ share one! With the speakers, on cold nights we would snuggle to keep warm and it’s very soothing.”

“What?” Trevor’s voice raised in alarm as he looked at the madwoman in confusion and rightfully so.

Alucard’s head cocked slightly to the side as his amber eyes observed her skeptically, she couldn’t possibly be suggesting what he thought she was, “You want to…” 

Taking Trevor’s hand, Sypha dragged him over to the blond and gave the half-vampire her best begging eyes, “Please, please, please can we come to bed with you Alucard?”

Alucard had to swallow back the rise of emotion in his throat, a hint of pink flushing his cheeks. “U-um… I mean…” She just looked so hopeful and sweet and… fuck, it was a trap, he should not have met her gaze, “I guess, if you really want to,” He had to look away. Sypha could really just be too much sometimes and that wasn’t a bad thing but it was  _ deadly _ .

“Hold on,” Trevor raised his hands in protest, “Who says I wanna get in his bed?”

“Shh sshh,” Sypha touched a finger to Belmont’s lips to hush him, “You want to cuddle, don’t you?” she turned her bright convincing eyes to the man. 

Trevor’s mouth opened to object but apparently whatever spell Sypha’s eyes had cast on Alucard to get him to agree, Belmont was equally susceptible to. “... Yeah.”

“Okay!” Sypha cheered and took both their hands, “Let’s go then!”

The boys trailed after Sypha, both in partial states of shock as she dragged them off to bed. 

The three of them ended up in Alucard's oversized bed with Sypha happily in the middle and soon snoring away contently. Alucard listened to the pair of humans as they both drifted off to sleep but that bout of insomnia had returned and he was back to staring up at the ceiling. 

The last time that this bed had others in it, things had not ended well. The blood had come out of the sheets but he’d still ended up burning them. He turned his amber gaze to the side of the room where his long blade lay, sheathed but always ready to be called to action. 

With a sigh, Alucard sat up again and rubbed at his eyes wearily. There was no way he could sleep like this and it was driving him crazy because Sypha and Trevor were  _ not  _ Taka and Sumi. These were his friends, trustworthy and they’d proven that time and again. 

And yet…

The blond slipped out of bed entirely and grabbed his sword, heading into the hallway with a shuddering breath as he leaned against the wall just outside his bedroom door. Why was he so broken? Every stupid little wave of emotion felt like a tsunami that threatened to drown him; Sypha’s beautiful eyes were comforting and overwhelming, Trevor’s stupid abs were disgusting and mesmerizing, these anxious feelings about having them near were a mix of mildly annoying and utterly devastating. He was tired, so fucking tired, certainly too tired to try and sort out this mess of thoughts and yet here he was, trapped in the land of the woke, spiralling. 

He had let Taka and Sumi so close to his heart, he had found joy in their smiles and relief in their warm touches. He’d had that with Sypha and Trevor first, so why did the latter relationship ruin the former? 

Sliding down the wall, Alucard wrapped his arms around himself and sat on the floor, exhausted and lost in this confusion. He wanted to be held but not touched, reassured without talking, it made no sense and it was breaking him up from within. He gripped the sword at his side, some sense of safety resonating from having it on hand at all times. He would have been entirely defenceless without it. Naked and bound by the traitors who had wormed their way into his heart. How could he fall asleep and let himself become exposed again? He needed to keep his guard up but it was so draining.

The warmth of a human body settled next to him in the hallway and Alucard flinched away from it before looking over to see Belmont sitting there. Trevor raised a brow at the reaction but didn’t comment on it, he just sat there quietly. 

Alucard’s senses had been going haywire as of late, lack of sleep did strange things to the mind and he hadn’t done much more than doze lightly since the incident. It was concerning if he was having this much trouble picking up on the tell-tale presence of a human until they were within striking distance. “... I thought you were sleeping,” Alucard mumbled into the silence of the hallway after a spell. 

“Sypha snores really loudly when she gets too cosy,” Trevor replied, “You gotta just wait it out or sleep in the hallway.”

Alucard hummed in reply, too tired to add his usual snide commentary to that. 

Trevor glanced down the hallway as though looking for something not stupid to say and clearly failing, “So… you tired?”

“No,” Alucard deadpanned back at him, “I enjoy staying up late, roaming the halls with absolutely no energy. I yawn for fun.”

Trevor glanced down to the sword still gripped so tightly in Alucard’s hand, the pale knuckles even paler in their anxious hold, “... Then go to sleep.”

“Great advice, Belmont,” The blond drawled, trying not to sound exasperated by the stupid man, “If only I’d thought of that.”

“I managed to get a few winks of sleep in,” Trevor continued casually, looking at his fingernails, “And Sypha’s snoring so I think I’ll be awake for a while now.” 

Alucard’s amber eyes slid suspiciously to Belmont, looking the man over in search of the meaning behind his words. 

“I’m just saying,” Trevor shrugged and chewed on a fingernail that had gotten too long, “I’d notice if anyone tried to break in to attack you or whatever. So… You can relax.”

The blond’s gaze dropped to his hand and Alucard forced his fingers to loosen their tight grip on the sword. “Oh…” He swallowed, turning away a little sheepishly. He must look like quite the pathetic scaredy-cat, clutching his sword in the middle of the night like a child with their teddy bear.

Alucard glanced back at Trevor for another moment, perhaps this was just what he needed? A watchdog, even Trevor couldn’t fuck that up and as long as he kept his distance then maybe this would work. The blond settled comfortably on the floor and curled up with his sword, he was far too tired to move from this spot or to care about what Belmont might think of this. Nervously, he tried to close his eyes again, seeking the long elusive sleep. This time he didn’t even have time to pray for it, it was seconds before the half-vampire was thoroughly unconscious. 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Trevor watched the half-vampire mess promptly pass the fuck out. He shook his head at Alucard’s sleeping form and then yawned and rested his head back against the wall with a sigh. Sypha was still snoring ever so loudly, at least that meant she was comfortable and he couldn’t blame her. Alucard’s bed was insanely cosy and had fit the three of them surprisingly well. 

Belmont dozed in place after a while, stirring when the bedroom door opened in the morning and Sypha poked her head out. “Where’d everybody… Go?” She blinked down at the pair of boys in the hall.

Trevor yawned and looked up at her, “Hey,” He whispered and then held a finger to his lips, signalling for her to keep quiet as he got up and stole back into the bedroom with her. He closed the door carefully to avoid making any noise before turning to her.

“Did something happen?” Sypha asked, worry in her eyes and keeping her voice low

Trevor shrugged and shook his head, “Fuck if I know,  _ you’re  _ the empathetic one. I just noticed him leaving and… I dunno, he was holding onto his sword really tightly.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, “I remember doing that sort of thing a lot when I was younger. Early on, when I was first on my own and I was paranoid of being surrounded by monsters all the time. I mean it ended up saving my life a few times but it also makes it hard to know when you’re safe.”

“... Oh” Sypha chewed on her lower lip, taking that in for a moment, “I hope I didn’t make it worse by insisting to sleep here.” She looked back at the bed.

“... I don’t think so,” Trevor admitted, “It’s… It’s a weird balance of not wanting to be alone but feeling like you gotta self-isolated from everything. The um, gesture, was probably appreciated?” He guessed. 

Sypha looked up at Trevor and then smiled and gave him a playful nudge, “Look at you, I knew you had a soft side, Belmont.”

“Excuse you,” Trevor scoffed as though insulted by such an accusation, “I have no such thing.”

“You do too,” She teased fondly, “A big old soft spot and for Alucard no less,” She poked at him with a grin, prodding at the sour look on Trevor’s face. 

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

The sun rose after the eventful night and the trio of weary heroes trudged through the morning light away from the massive castle and towards the Belmont Hold.

“Wow!” Sypha’s voice echoed through the expanse of the underground library as Alucard flipped the lever and caused the whole place to light up. “So you  _ have  _ been busy after all.” She grabbed the railing, leaning over it to try and see all of the wonderful space.

Alucard raised a brow at the peculiar woman, “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” Trevor chimed in to clarify, stretching his arms with a yawn, “The castle’s a fucking mess. Good to know you’ve got more respect for my ancestors than yours.”

“Your ancestors are rolling in their graves at the thought of me taking over as guardian of this place,” Alucard retorted, “Infesting it with the wonders of science. I take a personal pride in shitting on their macabre beliefs against my kind.”

“Delightful,” Trevor chuckled at the sentiment. He startled as he realized Sypha was already racing down the stairs and called after her, “Hey! Wait up!”

Quickly tracking down the old mirror that they’d used to locate Dracula’s castle, Sypha called to the others, “Alright! Let’s get this flared up,” She poked at the mirror thoughtfully, “Um… Hmm…” 

“You’ve never used one of these before, have you?” Alucard smirked at her curiosity. 

“No, but I recognize the symbols. I could figure it out,” Sypha drew her fingers along the frame with a curious pout.

“Or I could just show you,” Alucard stood in front of the mirror, “The tricky part is knowing what you’re looking for. You said this army came from Styria? Have either of you been there before?”

“Can’t say I have,” Trevor shook his head.

“I passed along the border once, years ago,” Sypha offered, “It gets much colder out that way than it does here. We didn’t stay long.”

“I haven’t been there either,” Alucard frowned, “This might be easier for you to locate what we need.” He held up his hands to the magical device, “You have to have something in mind, a thought to anchor to. I was able to find the castle before because well… I grew up in it.” He easily summoned the view of the castle above them to the mirror’s surface, “But you two have seen this army. Perhaps you can use some of what you remember of Styria and what you’ve seen of the night creatures to locate their source?”

As Alucard stepped away, the mirror became inert and Sypha moved in to try, following Alucard’s instruction. She closed her eyes, first thinking back to when she’d been younger, the colder climate of Styria, the threat of a region under vampiric control.

The mirror shimmered and brought snow-covered fields into view, tracks dug through the white powder to indicate a road beneath it. Her brow furrowed as she thought of the battles they had lost, the creatures they had fought, that monstrous thing that had lorded over the horizon…

The mirror’s surface rippled and then began to reveal images of night creatures, prowling through crumpled buildings, sniffing out remnants of survivors within the ruins of some broken town. The image began to shift from there, gliding across a field of death and subjugation; the burnt debris of Lindenfield, the bloodied remains of mutilated corpses and skeletons that had been picked at by wild animals and the living, bound and trapped. It was a map through all the places they had failed, rapidly shifting from fallen city to town, revealing a world of death and the rippling effect of their failures.

Alucard frowned at the sight in the mirror, they had told him things were bad out there but these beasts were a grade above what they’d dealt with before. His gaze shifted to Sypha as the images began shifting too rapidly through beastly blue eyes and screaming mothers, “Sypha?”

“Sypha!” Trevor stepped forward and took her shaking hand, “Sypha, snap out of it!” 

The woman gasped, her eyes opening as a few tears escaped from them. Her heart was racing but she quickly swallowed back the heavy lump in her throat and pulled away from Trevor, rubbing the wetness from her eyes. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“You’re clearly not,” Trevor tried to argue, looking worried. “Let’s figure something else out…”

Sypha sniffed and shook her head, taking a calming breath, “I just got carried away. Let me try that again,” She held up her hand again but Trevor stood in front of her.

“No way,” Belmont stated firmly.

“I can probably find it,” Alucard offered, stepping forward to take over, “It’ll just take a bit longer.”

“No, I can do this!” Sypha argued, shaking her head, “You don’t know the area. It’ll take you forever to track the place down.”

“So it takes a little longer,” Trevor insisted, “It’ll be fine.”

“No, it won’t!” Sypha snapped at him as a rage rose in her bright eyes, filling them with a fierce determination, “Because every day we wait, more people are dying Trevor! There are hundreds of people who are suffering every time we fail and I will not wait to help them tomorrow when I can do something today!”

“Sypha-”

“Move.” Sypha ordered the man firmly, she was not going to be convinced otherwise. Trevor hesitantly but wisely stepped back and let her try again. She took in a deep breath and set her mind to focus, summoning the image of that road again. Sypha tried moving off the road, pushing across the field to see if she could explore the landscape a bit but the image fizzled away after a while without anything familiar to anchor to.

Sypha continued, searching through images of night creatures they had fought against, finding the hordes that were held up across Wallachia. The connection to them was weak and she could only follow them for so long but she kept trying. 

Trevor and Alucard settled in as she went like this for hours, both of them keeping a cautious eye on the determined woman as sweat formed on her brow.

Alucard left at some point to bring them food. Trevor tried once or twice to coax Sypha into taking a break and she did, for about ten minutes. Overall she barely paused until sundown, fighting with the mirror to see things that she had little or no mental anchor to, clawing across the Styrian landscape through sheer force of will. 

“Guys,” Sypha called breathlessly into the evening and then summoned urgency to her voice, “GUYS!”

Alucard and Trevor came racing over from where they had inevitably wandered over the hours.

“Are you okay?” Trevor asked, trotting over, his gaze more focused on her but she just pointed to the mirror.

“... Shit” Alucard breathed, having gotten there first and staring at the scene in the glass.

“It’s gotta be it, right?” Sypha panted heavily, her fingers trembling with the effort to keep the image upon the mirror. 

It was a castle, built upon a cliff and coated in a layer of snow. It was certainly a sight to behold itself but there was something of greater note. Outside the front gate stood an army of monsters with burning red eyes, ready and waiting.

“Those are night creatures,” Trevor examined the image, “But… Can you get closer? Are they  _ facing  _ the castle? Like they’re going to attack it?”

“It’s hard to tell from here,” Alucard agreed, “But I think so…” 

Sypha tried to ease the image closer, letting them see some vague details on the people meeting at the front gate.

“The fuck is going on?” Trevor questioned, his brow knitting together as he squinted at the mirror.

“Someone has an army of night creatures…?” Alucard tilted his head, “And they’re talking to the leader of the castle I’m guessing.” His amber eyes widened a little, “I think I recognize him, he was with my father when we stormed Dracula’s castle, wasn’t he?”

Both men leaned in, trying to get a better look at the situation and then suddenly the mirror went blank and returned to its normal reflective surface. 

Trevor turned in time to see Sypha collapsing to the ground, Alucard moved faster to catch her before she made an impact. 

“Shit, Sypha?!” Belmont panicked as Alucard touched her forehead and checked the woman’s vitals, “Is she okay?!” 

“... Yes,” Alucard sighed in relief himself, “Just exhausted. She needs to rest, she’ll be fine in the morning.”

Trevor nodded a little, the worry for her clear in his eyes but he also glanced back at the mirror nervously. 

“Belmont?” Alucard eyed the man, a serious frown on his lips.

“This is bad,” Trevor swallowed, his fingers curled into fists, “Very bad, and we might not have much time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW, I got it out. It's still Friday for another hour for me, so no, it's not late XD It's a big chapter okay? Please still love me T_T
> 
> Anyway, TADA! Trio is starting to figure things out. Sypha's not doing to great and Alucard, of course, is a complete fucking mess. How is Trevor the most stable one among them?! That just feels like trouble in itself lol
> 
> Thoughts?! Comments?! Questions!? Hit me up, I love hearing from you guys! Drop a Kudos if you're a fan <3
> 
> ~Special Thanks to GamerGamii~


	6. Embers

((Back in Styria, Isaac demanded a meeting with Hector... Alone...))

Isaac waited patiently in the large sitting room, it was the evening after his first discussion with Lenore. He stood by the window with his arms folded behind his back as he took in the view. Styria held a captivating beauty to it, snow fell gently through the air, glittering in the cool moonlight. It was quiet and peaceful in a world that was so full of chaos and hatred. It reminded him of the tranquillity of Dracula’s highest towers, where the night wind was always crisp and pure and cleansing on the soul. Isaac closed his eyes and breathed the silence deeply into his diaphragm. 

The serenity of the moment was broken with the sound of the door opening and footsteps entering the room. Isaac opened his eyes to look at the reflection in the window, watching Hector move into the room and wisely keep his distance. 

“Hello traitor,” Isaac greeted in a monotone without moving from his place. Even just the reflection of the man caused that too-familiar anger to flare in the dark Forgemaster’s chest but his features remained still, stoic, patient.

Hector just glared at the man’s back, “Fuck you too, Isaac.”

Lenore stood in the doorway with that ever pleasant smile, “Play nice you two,” she chided them both, her gaze drifting from Hector to Isaac expectantly. 

Isaac reached to his side, withdrawing his forging dagger and turned to hand his weapons to his loyal night creatures on guard. The beasts took them and then headed for the door to go wait outside the room, all as had previously been agreed with Lenore. Hector took a step away from the creatures as they passed him, his blue eyes watching them carefully but they didn’t make any threatening moves as they stepped by and soon were out of sight entirely.

Looking back to the door, Hector saw Lenore waving her fingers at him in goodbye, an encouraging smile on her lips as if she were dropping him off for a playdate. She closed the door as she joined the creatures in the hall and left the pair of humans alone.

Isaac smirked at the _adorable_ interaction. Hector was ever the lost puppy, seeking the support of his new master. “You look well Hector,” Isaac commented as he turned to view the man from across the room, that hatred an ever present beast in his chest but he held it at bay, for now, “A life of subjugation suits you.”

Hector’s eyes shot back to look at him, hostility infecting his blue gaze. “What do you want Isaac?”

“Generally? To watch the light fade from your eyes,” Isaac drawled so casually as he stepped forward and began to rotate around the edge of the room towards him, watching in amusement as Hector became tense, “But I _may_ settle for watching you suffer.”

Hector matched Isaac’s footsteps, the two of them circling like wolves who were sizing each other up for a fight. Isaac, patient and calm while Hector was alert and tense. “You wouldn’t make it out of this castle alive,” Hector dared to threaten, “They need my night creatures, if you kill me Lenore will rip your throat out.”

“Is that so?” Isaac questioned with a slight raising of his chin, the hint of a smile gracing his lips, “She seemed rather interested in recruiting _my_ night creatures to the cause. Perhaps I will trade my services for your life?” He watched the questioning doubt rise in Hector’s eyes as the man debated the fragile nature of his existence here. Isaac knew that mentality well, to have your very survival be at the whim of your masters. Hector was well caught up in it, drowning between the islands of acceptance versus his desire for freedom. If he did not pick a direction soon then he would surely drown. Oh how he wanted to watch him drown.

Hector’s fingers curled as he solidified his gaze on Isaac, refusing to give in to Isaac’s prodding, “You’d never work for Carmilla, not willingly,” he accused, it wasn’t a question on Hector’s lips and that made Isaac smile. Of course there was _that_ , Hector wasn’t wrong about that. Carmilla had been wise to let Lenore run negotiations while she kept herself out of view. The vampire bitch might be next on his list after all.

“I would not work for Carmilla _unwillingly_ either,” Isaac declared with a confidence that had Hector glowering bitterly at him, no doubt jealous of Isaac’s superior resolve. 

“I’m pretty sure the definition of unwillingly is, _against your will_ ,” Hector pointed out haughtily and then added with a heavy tone of sarcasm, “But I’m sure that Isaac, Dracula’s most _loyal_ Forgemaster, is far above such things as being manipulated and coerced by others.”

Isaac’s cinnamon coloured eyes narrowed on their prey, “Is that your excuse then, deceiver? You blame others for your own misdeeds?” 

“I never meant to harm Dracula or his cause,” Hector shook his head, speaking insistently with fervent gestures as though pleading his case, “Carmilla tricked me but either way, I was _trying_ to be loyal. _He_ lied to _me_ about his motives. How was I expected to serve Dracula competently if he never told me his true purpose for the war?”

“He was quite clear,” Isaac sneered in disgust, his gaze glancing over Hector like he was the source of a bad smell in the room, “Lord Dracula spoke, repeatedly, that he wanted _all_ the humans to die, _you_ just refused to listen. _You_ were too busy being lost in your own fairy tale, looking for a happy ending where there could not be one.”

“Is this why you summoned me here?” Hector demanded, agitation rising in his tone now, movement ever tense as they circled one another, “To trade insults back and forth? Or are you concerned that they’re listening in on us?”

“I expect that they are,” Isaac shrugged without a care, “And it is of no concern to me.” He was beginning to look bored, if this was all that Hector had to defend himself with it was even more pathetic than Isaac had imagined.

“Then what are you waiting for?” Hector challenged, stopping suddenly to face him fully and Isaac stilled as well, no longer circling the room together but staring each other down. Cinnamon eyes versus a piercing blue gaze like a cloudless sky meeting the steady earth. 

“I wanted to make sure that they had not yet extinguished your spark, your love of life,” Isaac’s lips curled, somewhere between a grin and baring his teeth as he looked Hector over again, “It would be pointless to proceed if they had. Like kicking a dog when it is down.” 

“Is that so?” Hector demanded with his teeth bared back in a sneer, “And your verdict then?” 

The more Isaac spoke with him the more he could see that Hector’s spark was not only still there but it burned brightly beneath the surface, a raging pyre that threatened to consume the man. Hector was on fire and he didn’t even seem to realize it or the danger that it posed to his existence if he continued to let it burn too hot. It would devour him from within and leave him irrevocably broken. Hector’s soul would wither away into nothing if he remained here in this captivity.

Isaac smiled at the thought. It was exactly the fate that Hector deserved for his betrayal. But there was something that needed to be done first.

Isaac surged forward without warning, swinging a solid fist at Hector’s jaw but Hector had been prepared for it and brought his arms up to defend and deflect the blow. Hector dodged to the side and immediately went to strike Isaac back but the darker man bobbed out of the way and drove his knee up to catch Hector in the ribs. 

The pale Forgemaster stumbled back with a gasp as Isaac made first contact. Isaac moved in to continue his relentless assault but Hector recovered quickly and shifted to a defensive stance, buying his time with blocks and dodging as he looked for an opening. 

Isaac had always been better in a fight but Hector was far from a novice and now he had, God knows how many, months of pent up rage ready and waiting for an outlet. He had learned the value of a patient defence and his attacks had gained the speed and strength of unbridled fury behind them. So here, without their weapons and nothing to hold Hector back, the pair stood on relatively even ground. 

Hector backed away from Isaac, dodging over the back of a couch as he tried to get some space to breathe but Isaac was closing in on him again.

“Coward,” Isaac accused, moving to drive a kick into Hector’s face but the man managed to block it and glared. “Are you going to keep running from your fate?”

“I’m not running,” Hector dodged another punch and moved back again.

Isaac pressed forward until he had Hector backed against the wall, “Nowhere left to go, cur.” He drove his fist forward and it slammed into the wall as Hector slid down, ducking low. Isaac looked down just in time to receive Hector’s fist, uppercutting into his jaw. 

Reeling back, Isaac raised his arms to block Hector’s next flurry of blows but it seemed that the enslaved Forgemaster had found his opening and was finally able to press forward with his retaliation. Isaac was scrambling to keep his feet beneath him, startled by the sudden brutality of Hector’s attacks.

Hector had become a wild animal, driven by the pure instinct of a killer as he beat Isaac back, crying out as the fire ignited in his heart. The blue of his eyes had become like a turbulent storm on the harsh seas, filled with rage and primal thunder. Nothing was holding Hector back anymore, not the ring, not Lenore or Carmilla, not the constant impending doom that captivity wrought upon one’s soul. Hector pressed forward, drawing blood and bruises from Isaac’s skin, throwing the man over the central table where Isaac clambered across and tumbled to his feet.

Panting heavily, Isaac crouched low where he had barely landed upright. He held his steady gaze on Hector as he wiped a hand across his mouth, clearing the blood from his lip. 

Hector surged forward again but Isaac caught his fist so Hector drove his knee upward into Isaac’s gut. The man grunted in pain from the impact but his hold on Hector’s hand remained firm and with that, he pressed ahead and twisted the man’s arm. Isaac drove his elbow into Hector’s temple, disorienting the man as he used his grip to twist Hector’s arm around his back and slam him down into the floor.

Isaac grinned triumphantly as Hector cried out at his twisted arm that seared with pain. Isaac drove his knee into Hector’s back to pin him firmly in place. His grip had moved to hold Hector’s wrist, squeezing tightly to keep the man’s fingers unfurled as he located the ring on Hector’s hand. 

The subdued Forgemaster suddenly stopped struggling beneath Isaac’s superior strength. With his breath catching in his throat, Hector’s entire body went rigid as he suddenly realized his opponent’s true target. “Isaac-Don’t, _please_ ,” the feral look had dropped from his blue eyes in an instant, replaced with anxious panic as he frantically tried to look over his shoulder at the man.

“Be grateful betrayer,” Isaac retorted viciously, “Were this for Dracula alone, I would end your miserable life. But this…” Isaac leaned in close to whisper into Hector’s ear, “This one, is for me.” 

Isaac pulled on the ring, watching as the circle of red and black clamped down ferociously on Hector’s hand, refusing to slide even passed the first knuckle. Red-barbed magic seared from the item and down Hector’s arm, through his body and erupting in screams that ripped from Hector’s throat like a banshee escaping hell. 

Slave rings were a tricky thing, once active they could only be removed by someone wearing the master ring, any and all other attempts would result in sheer agony for the wearer. Isaac had seen them used in his past and they were horrifyingly effective. Anyone not accustomed to shouldering such torture was often crippled by it instantly and Isaac was not surprised that Hector was such a weak man when it came to bearing pain. 

Hector’s voice shrieked through the room, muscled convulsing as he struggled desperately beneath Isaac’s hold again. Eyes shut tight, tears spilled from beneath Hector’s lids but Isaac just looked down at him without a shred of sympathy. The pain on Hector’s lips was tantalizing, it fed into the dark Forgemaster’s soul but it wasn’t enough. This wasn’t enough. The rage still burned too deeply, he had to die.

The door burst open and Lenore came charging in, flanked by vampire guards, Isaac simply rose off of Hector and stepped backwards innocently. His dark gaze was locked on the writhing man, drinking in every ounce of his morbid suffering.

The vampire guards aimed their spears at Isaac to keep him back as Lenore touched her hand to Hector’s to ease the magic searing through his veins. Her eyes flashed to Isaac with a dangerous red glow as she growled at him, “You went too far.” 

“He is still alive, is he not?” Isaac replied calmly, gesturing to Hector’s trembling form as the pathetic man curled in on himself, “As we agreed.” 

Even as the magic subsided Hector was still convulsing from the after-effects, no doubt his nerves still raw from the ravaging of agony. Lenore ran her fingers through his silver hair soothingly, drawing a whimper from his lips. The sound made the red of her eyes burn brighter before she closed them to mask the effect.

Isaac watched her cautiously now, hyper-aware of exactly how far away his forge dagger and night creatures were. She was clearly deciding whether or not it was worth ripping out his throat over this, perhaps he had underestimated her affection for Hector? It did seem absurd that anyone could hold warm sentiment towards the traitor, least of all a _vampire_ but still...

“Take Hector back to his tower,” Lenore ordered the guards as she rose, brushing her hands off with an eerie calm. Her tone was steady and even, her movements controlled and smoothe, “Have a mortal servant help him to bed if he needs it.” The guards stepped back from Isaac and moved to lift Hector off the floor, each hoisting him up by one arm. 

Hector’s feet took a moment to orient themselves onto the ground. He still leaned heavily on the guards but lifted his gaze to the red-haired vampire with trepidation in those sapphire eyes. His voice trembled in an attempt to speak, “L-Lenore-”

“Shush pet,” Lenore gave him a sympathetic pat on the cheek and he fell silent, “Good boy. You did very well. You can rest now.”

Isaac watched the fire flare in Hector’s eyes at her demeaning words but then it swiftly simmered into resigned embers before his head turned away and he limped out of the room with the guards’ support. Hector’s spark was steadily burning out and Isaac found himself driven by a fearsome desire to watch it fade entirely. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW  
> This one got intense for me, how about you guys?  
> I'm enjoying bouncing between the comedic relief of the trio and the suspense of Styria. It feels balanced somehow. Hopefully it's not too confusing for you though.  
> Question: Do you like having a brief review of where we last left off? I thought it might be helpful with the bouncing back and forth between the trio and Styria.
> 
> Honestly, when I was writing this, I fully intended on them to just talk but then Isaac started throwing punches and OH BOY did things get carried away! If Isaac keeps doing things like this to me, I don't know if this story will end the way I planned it LoLoL
> 
> Special Thanks to GamerGamii <3
> 
> Update on me: I finally got a proper test done to confirm the suspected Carpal Tunnel issue. Thankfully it's not as bad as I feared! Still gotta take it easy but if all goes well, I might be able to fix it without surgery. Wish me luck!


	7. Mirrors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously at Alucard's castle, Sypha collapsed after spending so many hours trying to force the mirror to scry into Syria. But thanks to her efforts the Trio has seen the enemy and it is fierce.

Trevor was exploring the castle, he had found a few rather curious and grotesque things along the way but most importantly, he had found the wine cellar. So now he was wandering around pleasantly buzzed with a bottle in hand, poking his head into rooms.

“And in dooooor number two hundred and seventy six we haaavvveee…” He swung the door open and blinked at the storage room, “... Boring shit!” He moved on down the hall, ignoring several more doors along the way before picking out another. “And behind door number… Um…” the man blanked on whatever number he’d been on and just shrugged, “Fuckit, three hundred and twenty-five! We haaavvvee.” 

He went to grab the handle, only to have it swing open first and so Trevor stumbled forward in surprise and fell right into Alucard. The half-vampire made an irritated grunt and just stood there, looking down at the human, “Belmont, what the fuck are you doing?”

“Exploring!” Trevor pushed off Alucard's rather firm and comfortable chest as he righted himself. “Looking for monsters to vanquish in the night, y’know, hero stuff!” 

Alucard just gave the man a dead-eyed stare, “... You found the liquor,” He gave a disapproving frown, “Great, I’ll be entirely out of alcohol before the end of the week now.”

“Ah, fuck off,” Trevor pushed passed him to enter the room, noting a rather comfortable looking chair for him to flop down into near the unlit fireplace. “Hey this room is kinda cozy. You should actually clean this one up,” He commented as he went to drink another gulp from his bottle.

With unnatural speed, Alucard ripped the alcohol from Trevor’s hand and held it away from the man, “Get out.” He demanded immediately.

Trevor pouted like a child who just had his favourite toy taken away for being naughty, “What? Whyyy?” He whined, “I’m serious, just sweep up the broken glass, light a fire, it’s a nice little study. God, Alucard, take a fucking compliment.” 

“That’s not, just, fuck,” Alucard took a breath, trying to calm himself, “This place wasn’t even damaged by the battle you idiot. It’s my father’s study, that’s  _ his _ chair you’re soiling with your filthy clothes.” Trevor raised a brow at the blond and then stepped out of the chair at Alucard’s glare. “And for the record, that’s not broken glass, it’s a Carpathian Transmission Mirror. Why am I bothering to explain any of this to you? Just go.” The blond insisted with a weary sigh, shaking his head in dismay and gesturing towards the door rather insistently. 

“Corpsapien mirror?” Trevor’s tilted his head, brow cocked in confusion, “It’s just shattered glass all over the floor, the fuck?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Alucard prayed to remain calm in the face of sheer stupidity. “Carpathian. Transmission. Mirror.” He eyed Belmont who was yet to make any moves towards leaving. With a heavy sigh, Alucard switched tactics to bargaining, “If I show you how it works, will you fucking  _ leave _ ?”

Trevor shrugged and stole the bottle back from Alucard, taking a sip and then eyeing the broken shards of glass, “Okay…” Fuck it, he was curious now and the best way to solve curiosity was to snoop where he wasn’t wanted.

Alucard lifted his hand and summoned the pieces of the mirror to rise, causing Trevor to take a cautious step back. The shards reformed themselves back together and then the mirror’s image began to shift, revealing the chamber that Alucard had once used as his resting place beneath Gresit.

“Oh, it’s another scrying mirror,” Trevor scoffed and gulped more alcohol with disinterest, “Like the one in the Belmont Hold, why didn’t you just say so?”

Alucard eyed Trevor for a moment and then smirked slightly and grabbed the man, throwing him at the portal. 

Trevor yelped in surprise, tumbling through the image and landing on the hard stone of the chamber on the other side. Somehow he had managed to preserve the bottle perfectly despite his tumble, without spilling a drop. “The fuck?!” Belmont pulled himself up from the floor, eyes wide in awe and as he spun in a circle to look around.

“ _ Transmission _ mirror, Belmont,” Alucard chimed from the open portal, “As in, it transmits you wherever you want to go.” 

“No fucking way,” Trevor gaped, spinning in circles, “So I’m back in Gresit right now?!”

“Yes, have a lovely walk back,” Alucard raised his hand to begin closing the portal.

“ALUCARD!” Trevor snapped and ran for the portal, dropping the bottle of booze as he barely managed to dive back through before it disappeared. 

Alucard burst out laughing at the man, a hand on his stomach as the mirth shook his shoulders.

“What the hell?!” Trevor snapped at him angrily.

Alucard howled with delight at Trevor’s indignation, “God, you should have seen your face Belmont.  _ ‘Alucard no! Don’t leave me behind! _ ’” He mocked and doubled over with laughter. 

“I could’ve been cut in half!” Trevor exclaimed, “What if that thing had closed on me!?”

Alucard was beside himself, barely able to hold himself up let alone form a response at this point.

“Oh fuck you,” Trevor huffed and then looked down at his hands with a pout, “I left my bottle back there.” His shoulders sagged sadly which only made Alucard laugh harder.

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Horrid roars echoed in the night, fires raged but none of it could drown out the sound of the screams and death. A never ending army that marched across Wallachia, trapping people in their homes and setting up boundaries and pens for vampires to feed within. 

Sypha startled awake, arms trembling and chest heaving with terror in her eyes. She looked around hastily, lifting her hands, poised and ready with fire at her fingertips to light the dark room around her.

She was alone, it was quiet and safe but her heart was still racing in her chest. Sypha took in a deep, careful breath and then another as she tried to calm herself down and shake off the effects of the nightmare.

After revisiting all the places of their failures, she shouldn’t be surprised that her nightmares were worse. Every defeat weighed on Sypha’s soul, every life lost was another horrifying nightmare to plague her evenings. She just wanted to save someone, just one damned person in all this chaos and it would be worth all the fighting. 

But all they had done lately was watch more innocents die. 

Sypha curled her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly, taking deep breaths to try and push through the well of fear and heartache that weighed on her heart. Being alone in this room wasn’t helping, there was no one to pretend to smile for here, no one to poke fun at and embarrass or cuddle with. No one to help pull her from the dark reality that threatened to overwhelm and consume her.

It took every ounce of strength Sypha had to swallow the pain down and bury it deep. To convince herself that the fight wasn’t over, they could still make a difference. There was nothing that the three of them couldn’t do.

So she pushed herself out of bed, dragged those blue robes back upon her body and forced a smile in the mirror to syke herself up before venturing off to find the boys. They couldn’t be too hard to locate, Trevor and Alucard were far from quiet when they had one another to bicker with.

“It’s insane,  _ you’re  _ insane,” Alucard’s voice carried down the hall as Sypha approached the kitchen and she just smiled at it, the sound warmed her heart and put her at ease once more.

Trevor responded with an arrogant tone, “No, it’s genius and you’re just too cowardly to admit it.” 

“Not wanting to die isn’t being a coward!” Alucard protested, “Not all of us are so eager to hop into an early grave.”

“Aren’t you already like, dead or something?” Trevor argued back.

There was an indignant scoff from the blond, “I’m half-vampire you imbecile!”

“Half-dead then, whatever,” Trevor dismissed him, “Doesn’t matter, the point is that I’m still a genius.”

“Are you now?” Sypha pushed open the door and strolled into the kitchen with a smile at the boys as they immediately stopped bickering and turned their attentions to her instead. 

“Sypha-” Trevor started, she could see the concern in his eyes as he began to get up.

“Are you feeling better this morning?” Alucard cut the man off, rising to greet Sypha first. He touched a supportive hand to her back and she happily leaned into the contact. It felt good to be around her friends and, more importantly, someone who knew how to be sympathetic and reassuring. 

“Much better, thank you. Is that tea?” Sypha patted Alucard’s arm and stole his mug out of his hands. Alucard just smiled and let her have it. Sypha breathed in the alluring fumes and let out a warm sigh, “Amazing. Now, what are we talking about?”

Alucard went to get himself a new cup of the freshly brewed tea, “Belmont was coming up with the world’s stupidest plan.”

“Most  _ genius  _ plan,” Trevor argued immediately, settling down as Sypha joined him at the table, his eyes searching her for a moment to make sure she really was okay. Sypha offered him a cheery smile.

“Well, it sounds like you need a tie-breaker decision,” Sypha yawned as she sat and stole a glance towards Alucard. As warm as the man was trying to be, he still gave off such a distant energy and it concerned her, “Is this about what we saw last night?”

“Yes,” Trevor nodded, “But are you sure you’re feeling alright now? You kind of collapsed last night and…”

“I’m  _ fine, _ ” Sypha insisted, turning a steely look back to Belmont, “And if you ask me again I’m going to punch you,” She took an arrogant sip of her tea. “Come on, tell me the plan Treffy.”

Trevor eyed her for another moment, concerns still clear in his blue eyes but the threat of her assaulting him seemed enough to deter him asking about her wellbeing for now so he conceded, “Okay, okay… So um. We’re gonna blow it up. We’ll roll a bunch of gunpowder into the basement foundations and then set it off and BOOM, Castle crumples. Kill them all, save the world!” He gestured wildly as he spoke, as if trying to act it all out with his hands.

Sypha blinked at the man, Trevor looked so excited and proud about this but it sounded like nonsense. She waited a beat for him to elaborate but was met with silence which left her to prompt, “... I’m sorry, what?”

“The Styrian castle,” Alucard sighed and shook his head as he helped fill in the gaping holes that Trevor had neglected, “That we saw the other day. He wants to blow it up. He’s been working on this all night. It’s sad actually...”

“Shut up,” Trevor snapped at the blond, “Okay, no- just listen! I was looking around here last night and there’s these barrels full of black gunpowder in a store room, just sitting there.”

“Why were you investigating barrels in the castle?” Sypha tilted her head.

“He thought they were wine barrels; which is ridiculous because they were nowhere near the wine cellar,” Alucard drawled and Sypha gave a nod of understanding, that made a lot more sense now.

“Shut up,” Trevor argued vehemently, “You just can’t handle that I’m brilliant!” 

Sypha raised a hand to stop the bickering, settling her gaze curiously on Trevor again. The man did come up with good plans, when he actually put some thought into them. This one still seemed a little half-baked though, “How are we getting the barrels all the way to Styria and  _ into _ the castle foundations?” 

Trevor grinned like a madman, “Mirrors.”

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

“... You’re brilliant,” Sypha gaped in awe at the Carpathian Transmission Mirror in Dracula’s study. “Alucard, tell Trevor he’s brilliant,” She nudged the blond insistently.

“Never,” Alucard deadpanned, arms stubbornly crossed, “A high quality transmission mirror like this is more difficult to control than that piece of old Belmont junk. And since it’s a portal, it’s visible from both sides. They could see it, not to mention the fact that we won’t be able to maintain the opening from the other side which means someone has to stay behind.”

Trevor seemed entirely unperturbed by the blond’s nay-saying, “Alright, but it’d be handy to have someone using the mirror to watch our backs and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather do that than Sypha. Plus, once one of us hops through it, that’ll give her someone familiar to anchor to, riiiiight?” he gave Alucard a cheeky grin, the man was insufferable when he knew he was right.

Alucard paused, struggling to find the flaw in Trevor’s reasoning and hating him all the more for it, “... We still need to get it to appear somewhere inconspicuous.” He insisted and Trevor’s grin grew because the half-vampire wasn’t telling him he was wrong which was as good as admitting he was right. 

Trevor raised his chin in victory as he continued, “Right, so I sneak in and-” 

“ _ You _ sneak in?” Alucard raised a brow, cutting him off immediately, if only to take the man’s ego down a peg, “It’s a castle full of  _ vampires _ . They’ll hear your footsteps like thunder down the hallways.” 

“I can be sneaky,” Trevor argued, his voice borderlining on a whine, “I’m very stealthy!”

“Stealthy like a bull in a red room,” Alucard drawled, “Vampires have  _ very  _ sharp ears and there will be a castle full of them.”

“Uhg. Fine, so twinkle-toes here can go sneaking in,” Trevor amended his plan in a very annoyed tone, “Show us to the basement foundations and we just start loading in the gunpowder. Then once it’s all set up, we pull back through the portal, Sypha pops off a fireball through it and shuts it down. Boom, saved the world.”

“You’re obnoxiously insistent on that last part,” Alucard glowered at the man before they settled down to work through more details of the plan whilst having breakfast. Time was of the essence and they needed to move on things as soon as possible. After Lindenfeld they had learned the dangers of waiting too long to act. 

Having ironed out as many kinks as they could, the trio moved into action, bringing the old Belmont mirror and barrels of gunpowder up into the study. It was getting later into the evening as Sypha worked her magic to bring up the view of Styria once more. 

“... It’s that man again,” Alucard narrowed his gaze on the view of the large window in the side of the castle. The dark skinned Forgemaster stood there, arms folded behind his back, shoulders squared and waiting. “Looks like he might not be there to fight them after all…”

“This is what I was worried about,” Trevor frowned, “If they join forces and the vampires get to add to their army, all this is going to get a lot harder. We need to take them all down before that happens.”

“The place will be more active at night.” Sypha contemplated the situation as she struggled to get a better view but the mirror’s image wavered and she had to pull back. “It will be difficult to sneak around, are you sure you can manage Alucard?”

“Certainly better than Belmont would,” Alucard drawled and then turned to Sypha, “Can you find a corridor that’s clear for me to enter through?”

Sypha took a breath, carefully shifting the focus on the old mirror. It was difficult to maneuver around the castle at all, she was constantly trying to re-anchor herself to new things she saw. “I think… The best I can do is a corner of the courtyard. Navigating inside this place isn’t going to be possible without one of you two to focus on.”

“I’ll make it work then,” Alucard nodded, adjusting his sword at his side and making sure he had everything that he needed.

“You’ve got twenty minutes,” Trevor told him, arms crossed as he looked over the barrels of gunpowder they had gathered. He did another mental count of the pile, hoping it would be enough, “Get inside the lower levels and stay out of sight.”

Alucard rolled his eyes and turned away from the man to focus on the scrying mirror, taking in the position of the guards so he knew what he was getting into, “I know Belmont, you’ve said it ten times already, just be ready to follow me after that. I won’t slow down for you.” 

“Right,” Sypha breathed as the Belmont mirror reverted to normal. She turned and switched to the Transmission mirror focusing on that one empty corner they’d just found, “Time to go.” The glass shards rose into place upon her command and the courtyard rippled into view. 

In a flash Alucard was leaping through the portal, transforming into a wolf along the way. Soft paws landed on the snow-covered ground and he ducked behind a stray wagon as Sypha closed the portal quickly after him. 

Amber eyes of the wolf took in this new setting with care, ears perked to attention, nose sniffing for danger as every one of Alucard’s senses focused on the perilous surroundings. As the still of the early night remained so, Alucard dashed off to find a way to sneak inside. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm posting a day late. Yesterday was Christmas though! Sue me XD  
> I hope you guys all had an amazing and safe holiday season! Feel free to tell me about it if you want to share.   
> I myself had a quiet and happy day with my partner and my kitty cat ^-^
> 
> Anywho! Story-wise: Things are happening quickly now! Eep!
> 
> If you like Trevor's plan, please comment with "Trevor is a Genius!" as he would like to shove it in Alucard's face lol  
> Of course, who knows if it'll actually work? "Save the world"? These guys? I dunno, gunpowder vs undead armies seems like a tossup XD
> 
> Mind you, now that they're converging, things are about to get really chaotic. ^_^; 
> 
> Special Thanks to GamerGamii


	8. Schemes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (( In Styria, the council tries to decide what to do with Isaac... ))

“He could have killed him!” Lenore snapped at her sisters in the council room as they debated over the Isaac issue. 

“But he didn't,” Striga pointed out.

Carmilla sipped at her blood-wine with a hum, “I find myself both relieved and… disappointed.”

Lenore seethed in fury, “You said to let the two of them fight it out, let the little boys get it out of their system and everything would be fine. That couldn’t have been a worse fucking plan, now Isaac wants  _ more _ .”

“Lenore-,” Morana tried to interject.

“I don’t see the problem,” Carmilla challenged and Lenore rounded on her.

“You don’t see the problem in letting that filthy ape beat and abuse our  _ loyal  _ Forgemaster?” Lenore demanded, “He makes us night creatures, Carmilla. Your whole fucking plan goes out the window without him.”

“ _ Lenore, _ ” Morana insisted, “You said he was offering to lend his own army to our purpose in exchange. That does technically fulfill our needs. No more waiting on Hector to make enough creatures to push forward. We could advance  _ now _ .”

“An army loyal to  _ him _ ,” Lenore persisted angrilly, “Hector’s creatures obey  _ us _ . They’re more valuable than Isaac’s.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes, “Oh come on Lenore, you just don’t want to share your pet with anyone. Get your head out of your ass, he’s just a human. We’ll get you a new one.” Lenore let out a hiss, baring her teeth at the impetuous woman.

“I would prefer Hector’s creatures to Isaac’s,” Striga admitted before a full on brawl could break out between Carmilla and Lenore, “But there’s been more resistance in Wallachia than predicted. We’ve been having higher casualties than expected in towns that should not be such a problem. I suspect it to be Alucard, the Belmont and the Speaker Magician,” she looked to Carmila, “Dracula’s forces had trouble with them as well, yes?”

“Fucking hell, are they still around?” Carmilla drawled, “I had Hector send a group of his most powerful night creatures to the old Belmont estate ages ago. With Braila ending as it did I didn’t expect to hear back from them but...”

“Well apparently they are still alive,” Striga sighed, “And becoming a problem that Isaac’s horde would help to deal with.”

“So I’ll convince Isaac to handle  _ that, _ ” Lenore snapped and crossed her arms, “He believes that they’re the ones who killed Dracula anyway. It shouldn’t be a hard sell, the man is utterly infatuated with his ineptly deceased master. But he cannot have Hector. I won’t allow it.”

Carmilla hummed in thought, “... Well…”

“No!” Lenore snapped at her immediately.

“Oh my God Lenore, just fucking listen for a minute!” Carmilla argued, setting her glass down.

Lenore seethed at the woman, “I said  _ no  _ Carmilla! Hector is mine!”

“Yes, fine, you can keep him,” Carmilla retorted, “Fuck. You’ve marked your territory, I get it. But if we  _ tell  _ Isaac that if he kills the Belmont and whoever for us, then we’ll give him Hector. It gets him out of our hair for a little bit and takes care of that whole problem.”

Striga leaned forward, picking up where she was going with this, “That lets us direct our troops into position to eliminate him before he can return. He’ll be weakened by the battle, easy pickings.”

Morana grinned, leaning back in her chair comfortably with her own glass in hand, “We keep our more loyal night creatures, Lenore keeps her pet and we obliterate every last threat that opposes our claim on Wallachia.”

“Greater Styria,” Carmilla corrected her smugly.

Lenore seemed to calm a bit at this new plot, her distant gaze searching the empty table as she took a moment to go over it in her head. “... I can work with that.”

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

Hector woke wearily in his bed. He’d been so tired that he’d slept well throughout the day and into the night. He yawned and rubbed at his eyes, getting ready to get the evening started. He doubted Morana would accept a deviation from her schedule, no matter how sore he still felt. 

After getting cleaned up and dressed, Hector paused as he noted the time and a frown touched his lips. He had slept longer than he’d expected, why hadn’t Lenore called for him by now? Maybe Isaac was keeping her busy? Whatever. Hector sighed and shook his head, as long as it didn’t have anything to do with him again. Fuck Isaac.

Hector left his tower and started making his way into the more populated sections of the castle, ever grateful for his tower being more isolated and peaceful. Penelope trotted faithfully alongside him and Hector tossed a ball down the large corridor to play fetch with her along the way. The dog was always happy to play and the sight of her joy brought a smile to Hector’s face. 

A small group of guards went marching by and Hector gave them all a scathing glare as they nearly bowled him over. Fucking idiots. He whistled for Penny to come back to his side as he pushed open the forge doors.

Hector retrieved his hammer from the altar of the forge room to get started but as he looked around, there hadn’t been any fresh bodies delivered yet.

“Morana better not blame me for this,” Hector commented to the dog as he sighed and went to head for the hallway to find out what the hold up was. Just as he got halfway across the large room there was a resounding crash behind him. 

Hector whirled and raised his hands to shield his face as the glass from the window shattered and sprayed into the room. Two flying night creatures had barrelled through the glass, locked in a deathgrip with one another and were tearing into each other’s flesh. 

Scrambling back with wide eyes, Hector gave the pair a wide berth as their wings and limbs lashed out, his fingers gripping his hammer tightly. “What the fuck?” The Forgemaster breathed, he recognized one of them as his own. The other one had red eyes and had to be Isaac’s, but why were they fighting?

A deathifying squeal of pain ripped Hector from his thoughts as his own nightcreature fought for its life. The Forgemaster glared at the red-eyed beast and charged forward, slamming his hammer into its head to send it barreling off his loyal hell-monster. Penny dashed past him and immediately latched her powerful jaw around the enemy creature's throat, biting and mangling the vital area until it stopped moving. 

Hector touched the cheek of his injured night creature, concern on his lips as he assessed the damage briefly but soon the window was drawing his attention. With the window broken he could clearly hear the howls and distant screams beyond. 

Every step forward was crunching with the broken glass until he stood at the cusp of the view, eyes going wide. His left hand rose to grip the red curtain that kept trying to blow in his way and block the view of utter chaos.

Isaac’s night creatures were tearing through the castle, locked in battle with Hector’s beasts and vampire soldiers. 

What the ever loving fuck had happened?

**-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-**

“You want me to kill the Belmont?” Isaac raised a curious brow at Lenore’s proposal. They had parted ways for the day after Isaac and Hector’s little brawl, reconvening early the next night.

“It serves us both a purpose,” Lenore nodded, smoothing her palm along her skirts to get rid of any sign of wrinkles in the silk, “The Belmont, Speaker Magician and Alucard are responsible for Dracula’s death, you could avenge him.”

“They are also a rival force within Wallachia no doubt,” Isaac considered, cinnamon eyes watching her every move, evaluating the vampress for any signs of deception, “Removing their presence would allow your armies to advance without impedance.” 

Lenore nodded to confirm his words, “We all benefit from their deaths. And once they are gone, the council would feel more confident in giving you Hector in exchange for your continued support.”

Isaac’s dark gaze held onto Lenore’s features with deep contemplation. It did sound like an idea to get all he wanted but the way she had been so defensive of Hector the night before. It concerned him. Her motives did not seem to align with her words. 

Isaac let out a sigh as he looked down at his hand, watching the motion of his fingers curl and uncurl in the remnants of an old meditation technique, “... For some time now, my thoughts have been clouded. My anger has been weighing on my mind, distracting me from my true self. I used to be able to find clarity in my own pain. To dive into the injuries that separated me from my innermost heart. For only when the torment of these wounds is felt deeply and held lovingly, can the spiritual healing of the soul occur.”

Lenore tilted her head and watched him speak, “That’s quite beautiful Isaac but I’m not sure that I follow…”

“Anger has been driving me,” Isaac continued, cinnamon coloured eyes hardened with the truth he’d been forced to face, “My  _ own  _ anger, as you so graciously pointed out the other night. Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome,” Lenore offered an uncertain smile back, “So… does that mean you accept?”

“I will eliminate Dracula’s murderers,” Isaac agreed as he rose to his feet, “ _ After _ I have resolved my rage with Hector and restored my clarity of mind.” 

Lenore gave a soft laugh, shaking her head at the petulant human Forgemaster, “Oh no, you don’t get Hector until after you’re done dealing with the Belmont and his little friends.”

“If you truly have the intention of giving up your pet to me then you will do so  _ now _ , or I will know that you are lying,” Isaac insisted, watching her with an unwavering gaze. 

“That’s a ridiculous request,” Lenore waved him off with amusement on her lips. “What possible assurances could you make to follow through?”

“It was not a request,” Isaac’s eyes narrowed on her. It was just as he suspected, that look on her face; it was subtle but it was the same look she’d had when rushing to Hector’s side to ease his pain. She did care for him and she intended to keep him no matter what Isaac offered her in trade. Hector wasn’t for sale, these negotiations were a pointless tactic to distract him.

“Killing the Belmont and his friends is a service for which you will be paid. You can have Hector to do with as you please, all the foul tortures of revenge that you can think of,” Lenore stated, her voice flippantly dismissive as she gestured with her hand, eyes trailing away in boredom of her own words, “But only after, not beforehand.”

Isaac’s lips pressed into a frown and his fingers curled at his side, sighing as he turned away from her. He saw right through this woman and her pathetic attempts to appeal to his sense of revenge. The Forgemaster stepped towards the window to observe the view again. No snowfall yet this night but the previous one had left a still fresh layer on rooftops and pathways that hadn’t been touched yet. 

The moon shone brightly above through a clearing of clouds, three quarters full and illuminating the situation to Isaac for what it was. “My patience for your lies has run out,” Isaac lifted a hand, knowing his silhouette could be seen by his devoted army. 

Lenore was quick, Isaac was quicker but only because he had been expecting her to attack. Lenore’s deadly claws swiped air as Isaac narrowly dodged to the side and signaled to his night creatures in the room. One of them tackled Lenore, merely to die at her hand but it bought Isaac the time that he needed to draw his forge-blade and retaliate, swiping the sharp weapon in skillful strokes towards her. 

Lenore hissed, her teeth glinting dangerously in the moonlight as she dodged the blade, grabbing hold of Isaac and hurling him at the window. It had the desired effect of causing the second night creature, a winged thing, to leap and wrap itself around it’s master. The creature’s body took the impact of the glass and shattered the high window. Isaac and the beast began to cascade towards the earth below when the nightcreature’s wings unfurled. Desperate to save the man who’d given it life, the beast narrowly avoided crashing into the earth. It managed to pull up just in time to glide and bring Isaac back up to a snowy rooftop across the way, leaving the Forgemaster unharmed. 

Landing safely, Isaac turned back towards the broken window, cinnamon eyes glowered back at the shattered window. Lenore’s pale visage visible, highlighted by the moonlight that peered through a break in clouds.. The icy wind picking up around them both, sending cloaks and robes billowing in the quiet night.

The moment of shimmering silence was shattered by the howl of the night beast behind Isaac, the great winged thing calling to its brethren, summoning them to war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!
> 
> I fell off my posting schedule as you may have noticed. Without getting into details, basically life got to be a little more than I could handle these last few weeks. December was rough and January has been me trying to recover from it ^_^;  
> I'm okay though! It just might take me longer to get the next few chapters out. I don't have a new schedule figured out yet but I do have this chapter at least so please enjoy <3
> 
> As always it's lovely to hear from you, your thoughts and comments are a treasure for me to read. 
> 
> Now, this chapter: Things are getting heated huh? Lenore VS Isaac, round one! Fight! And poor Hector late to the party lol
> 
> Special Thanks to GamerGamii


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